Paradoxes Undone
by The Dangerous Abilities
Summary: *New* "Finding Hotaru": Post chapter 180. As the manga ending was more like a start of a new story which was waiting to be written , so here it is. The ending of the old story. Beginning of a new adventure. Same old gang. All new adventure. Old feelings. New decisions.
1. Chapter 1: Renewed Feelings

**Hi there fellow GA fans! This is the edited and final version of a trial story "Finding Hotaru." Most of you must have been aware that GA has ended. For good. Well my friends and we thought that the end was more like a beginning of a new adventure in itself, so we've decided to write a post manga story. A fresh new adventure featuring the same old gang.**

**This story is written by co-ordinate efforts of: edwardelric108, Sonic-Keyblade007, and NeverLookBack756.**

**Warning:**** Contains spoilers from last three chapters of manga. Story starts off immediately from chapter 180.**

**Spoiler from last three chapters****: Mikan is now a beautiful 16 year old,attending high school in her village, with no memories of her adventure in GA. She was attacked by some kidnappers and saved by Natsume, Noda, and Goshima (who is in disguise as her school girl friend). She regains her memory with Natsume's help and the alice stone she gave him all those years ago. A touching reunion of all GA teachers, senior and class B and Mikan. Nobara and Rei have a baby boy. Mikan vows to rescue Hotaru who's still trapped in space time. And the manga ends with this cliff hanger. This story picks up from where the manga left off. Enjoy! ^^**

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**Chapter 1:**** Renewed feelings**

It was a tiring day. Especially for Mikan who was finally getting answers to her much needed question. Her quest for answers ended, as well as her desire to visit the beach with all her friends. It was one of the things she had been wishing for ever since she was twelve. She had penned it down in her diary with neat handwriting, along with her other dreams and wishes as well. Meeting all her old friends, teachers, and senpais gave her inexplicable joy. Not to mention Nobara, Rei, and their little baby boy. That was the icing on the cake for her. Everyone was there except for two. Except for the girl she loved so much and her older brother. She sighed as she laid in her bed.

"Hotaru." A tear slipped her eye as she spoke her name. "You big baka! " She tried to 's what Hotaru would've wanted. It was easier said than done, though.

It was a quarter after one in the morning. She was supposed to be asleep. After dinner, Noda sensei told - well, warned - her and the two boys to hit the sack early. They had a long journey starting early next morning. The others had gone back to the Academy itself that night, leaving Mikan behind with Noda-sensei, Natsume, and Ruka-pyon. She wanted to visit the Academy, but later decided that it would be best to go back to the Academy together with Hotaru. Just like she did the first time. It would be more appropriate. So she made up her mind that finding Hotaru was her top priority. She would do everything else later. She did want to walk through those huge gates of Academy once again, but only while holding Hotaru's hand in hers.

There she lay motionless on her bed, with her back facing upwards. There was just too much to process in her small head. Too much information was hammered into her pea sized brain last evening, and quite frankly, she was having trouble fitting the puzzle pieces in the right order.

Self absorbed in her musings, Mikan she failed to notice her bedroom door slide open. A pair of huge arms grabbed her from behind, locking her between the bed and his warm body. The heat radiating from his body and his alice was warming her up. She knew very well whose arms they were, yet she pushed them away to look at his face.

"Natsume! What are you doing here?" she said while sitting straight up on her bed. She made sure that her voice was soft though. She didn't want to wake her Ji chan .

"I had a feeling you were crying alone so I came over," He murmured, mimicking his old lines. He locked her in his arms again. The boy clearly needed her, and you couldn't blame the poor kid. He was a freaking hormonal teenaged boy. But the perverseness is just an excuse. Who wouldn't want to cuddle with their girlfriend - more like fiance - after a separation of 4 years. Forget cuddling, Natsume's mind was racing into wildness ever since he laid eyes on his 16 year old fiance. Only Natsume alone knows how he spent those 4 long years in Academy without _his_ Mikan. 4 long years of not listening to her cacophony very morning. 4 long years of not flipping her skirt to check her pattern of the day. 4 long years of not sitting under the shade of Sakura tree with her. 4 long years of not going to central town with her to eat fluff puffs. 4 long years of not sitting and dozing beside her during lessons. Only Natsume knows how he survived through it.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. I was just thinking about...Hotaru."

And here was the girl he longed for, pinned for in those 4 years, locked in his embrace and yet she was thinking of her best friend and not him. He was getting jealous. Very jealous. Given, her best friend was the reason he was cuddling her that moment. He was still annoyed at the fact that she was giving all her attention to Hotaru not him. Damn Imai.

"You know," he drawled. "You haven't even kissed me once since I've got here. It's been 4 years." He pulled her face closer to his. Mikan reddened in an instant. He pressed his lips onto hers. Ah! That feeling. He missed it for the past 4 years. Infact the memory of that feeling helped him live through those years. Mikan seemed to enjoy it too. She expected it to be rough and wild, but it was warm. Soft even. Yes, it was wanting, but it was still soft. Natsume was a damn good kisser.

"God, I missed this." He smirked while caressing her hair. Mikan was simply too mesmerized to say anything. He captured her lips again. She yelped in surprise, he took advantage and slide his tongue in. Mikan's eyes widened at his move, yet Natsume continued to deepen the kiss. Both were breathing heavily. Satisfied from devouring her mouth, he started trailing open mouthed kisses around her jaw line all the way down her neck. He nibbled onto the sensitive skin on her nape. Without her permission, Mikan's lips let you a moan. He loved it. He wanted to hear it again. So he bit her harder this time, making sure to leave a mark. Mikan groaned. "Na-Natsume...hey...wait... Ah!" He sucked hard onto her collar bone and continued kissing and sucking downwards. He got rid of the obstacle in his path by undoing the first two buttons of her shirt, revealing her valley and her polka dotted bra. He smirked, even her bra was polka dotted. This was the first time he'd seen her bra, she didn't wear one when they were ten. He nuzzled his head in the gap of her chest and kissed every inch of skin he found. This was pleasure. Something he was denied for the past 4 years.

Before going further down her button line, he was shockingly bombarded with a slap to the face. After placing his hand where the sting of rejection scarred his pride, he looked at her face to scan her expression. She was crying. His heart broke.

She did mostly cry when they kissed. But those were tears of joy, tears of happiness of finally meeting. Now though, he could clearly see that she was crying because she was hurt, she was scared. He was foolish. Idiotic. Perverted. He should have known better. They just reunited the day before and he already couldn't control himself. Jealous and desperation fueled him. He wanted to make up for all the lost time in just one night, without even stopping to consider her feelings. How selfish of him! He mentally cursed himself.

He wiped off her tears, hugged her carefully as not to scar her again, and whispered a quiet "I'm sorry." He brought his lips to her cheeks and kissed away the fallen drops. "I'm such an idiot sometimes." He had come to her room to calm her down from her crying and he ended up making her cry even more. He cradled her to soothe her. When she stopped sobbing, he faced her again and buttoned up her shirt for her.

"No Natsume, I'm the one who should be sorry. I love you. More than you know. So much, that I waited for you even though I didn't know who you were. And now that I've regained those memories and I've got you back, I just...can't...I'm sorry Natsume. It's not that I don't trust you. I mean we're almost 17 and in love. It's only natural for us to do things like sex. Even the girls in the regular world were sleeping with their boyfriends, but somehow I just can't. I'm just sc-"

"Scared, right?" Natsume was glad that she didn't hate him for what he did a few minutes ago.

She nodded in agreement. "I know you'll never hurt me. I trust you, but... this is all new to me. It's too sudden a jump in our relationship ." She was right. The last time those two were alone together they were just kissing. Simply kissing. Kissing sounded so pure to him right now.

"Besides whenever I am with you, I just can't help but think of Hotaru, you know. I feel guilty every time I kiss you, touch you. Because the person who made it possible is not here with us, she's out there trapped. And we're here enjoying? It just doesn't feel right."

Mikan was being unreasonable. She expected him to wait until they found Hotaru and only then recommence their relationship. But Natsume understood how she felt, in a way he too felt that way as far as Hotaru was concerned. Even though finding Hotaru would probably take days, months, maybe years; he could wait. He loved Mikan and respected her feelings. Her happiness was his first priority.

"I understand. Besides, we aren't like the couples outside the academy. We'll take things at our own rate." He caressed her hair again. "I'll wait Mikan." He smiled his billion dollar smile. He kissed her forehead. "Let's take things slowly, okay?" She was glad he understood her. That was the best part in their relationship, they both understood each other perfectly and completely. She hugged him tightly.

"Thank you," was all she said.

"I better get going," he said with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"Stay," she said tugging on his pajamas.

"I might end up doing perverted things you know," he joked. She elbowed him in stomach and pulled him beside her to lie down on the bed. She snuggled close to him, resting her head on his right shoulder. She took a deep breath and took in his scent. Her hand crept up to his chest and pressed against his heart. All the memories came rushing back. Natsume's heart had stopped beating. Natsume was gone, yet here he was. She wasn't sure if it was in her head, but she swore his heartbeat was the same as hers. His left arm found her waist and wrapped around protectively. They lay there motionless enjoying each other's warmth until Mikan broke the silence.

"Did any girls ask you out?" she asked in the darkness. She almost tightened her grip on him in the thought of another girl dating Natsume.

"Most girls didn't bother me because they knew about you." Mikan wasn't relieved yet.

"Most?"

"There was this one girl. She was supposed to come right after the Alice Festival, but when the war happened, they delayed her transfer. I can't remember her name, but I guess one day she decided she was going to ask me out," Natsume explained. Mikan could hear the smirk in his voice. What was he laughing at?

"What did she say," Mikan asked, intrigued by Natsume's story.

"She declared out to everyone that she was convinced that her and I belonged together."

"And what did you say back?" Mikan sat up and waited for an answer. Natsume, still laying on the bed, sat up onto his elbow and rest his head on his palm. He was tired of the story and just wanted to stare at her. He loved the way her hair was slightly messy from laying down. The way her eyes were drenched in a mixture of jealousy and interest.

"Never had the chance to answer. Permy pounced on her."

"She didn't!"

"She did. She was going on about how I was off limits and taken by someone." Mikan couldn't help but laugh. She settled back into Natsume's chest and examined his face. His eyes were soft and a little sleepy.

"Are you tired, Natsume?" she asked.

"No, not yet." Mikan nodded and curled in closer to him. They sat in silence for a few minutes until Natsume broke it.

"We are working on a cure. Ruka and I. We're close to finding it. It'll take time but I think that would be a miraculous breakthrough in the history of Alice. We'd be able to help lots of children with Life Shortening Alice Shape."

"Really? That's great." She was overjoyed. "I'm serious, Natsume. I'm so proud of you. If you're close to finding the cure, stop using your Alice. Just wait until you find it."

"You know I can't do that. I need it to protect you, Ruka, and the others. I can't just stop using it yet."

"But promise me that you won't waste it and use it unnecessarily. I am sure you can atleast do that."

"Yeah," he assured her, "Now gimme a kiss."

"You're being very greedy tonight, Natsume." she teased. She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him softly. Their lips moved in a perfect sync. Gasping for air the two parted. "You should go to sleep, we hardly have 3 hours left before we leave for the journey. Get some rest."

"Good night." She said.

"Hmm," came the infamous answer. She pecked him on his lips and closed her eyes. Despite the fiasco an hour ago, this still was the best night Natsume had in a long time. He kissed her bangs and dozed off beside her.

* * *

It was little after five in the morning when Ruka rose up. When he did, he discovered the bed besides his was empty.

"Natsume?" Ruka called out. He knew well where his best friend was. He thought it would be best to bring him back to the room before the old man discovered those two together, probably naked. He didn't admit it to his best friend, but he still loved her. His heart just couldn't forget her laughter. He tried dating a girl in his middle school, but he couldn't even get himself to kiss her and they broke up in a week. Clearly dating another girl wasn't helping him forget her. So he decided it was best to observe from afar, rather than hurt other girls or hurt the two people he loved so much. He always watched from a distance, even last evening when Mikan finally recognized Natsume after he inserted the alice stone in her and those two had a touchy reunion. He looked at them with a bittersweet smile and couldn't help but feel a slight bit of jealousy. He immediately felt guilty about it, too. Can a person feel those three things at the same time? Love, jealousy, guilt. Apparently Ruka did. He wondered if anyone else felt that too sometimes.

He knocked onto her door. "Natsume?" No reply. "Sakura?" Silence met him again. He didn't want to open the door, fearing that he might walk into an embarrassing situation. He wouldn't want to embarrass his friends if they were in a compromising position. So he knocked again, more like banged loud and clear.

"Come in," he heard his best friend call out. Assuming that his friends were soberly dressed by the time he walked in. He found Natsume with a toothbrush in his mouth sitting on the edge of the bed,fully dressed.

"Hey," Natsume said through his toothpaste filled mouth. Ruka opened his mouth, but Natsume help up his hand. "Hold that thought, I'll be right back." Natsume walked into Mikan's bathroom and rinsed his he walked out, Ruka spoke.

"I thought it would be wise to wake you two. We wouldn't want to give Ji-chan a heart-attack," Ruka said.

"Yeah" Natsume agreed. He glanced over at Mikan and gently touched her arm. "Ruka's here, Mikan. Time to get up." Her eyes fluttered open at the sound of Natsume's voice calling her. She sat up and smiled sleepily at the two boys.

"Hi," she said with a sleep raspy voice.

Natsume kissed Mikan gently on the cheek and said "Your Jii-chan will be here shortly to make sure you're up. Why don't you get ready?" She nodded and smiled at boys left Mikan to get ready, and after a few minutes of confusion, Mikan remembered her big day. She'd find Hotaru today.

* * *

"Ah! Good morning! How can I help you?" A lady with short purple hair greeted the tall man dressed neatly in a coat with gloves on his hands and red haired tied in a braid.

"I am Shuichi Sakurano. " He bowed and greeted his best friend's mother.

"Oh! My Sakurano-san." It wasn't her fault that she didn't recognize him, the last time she saw his picture was when he was in middle school, with shoulder length hair and he was wearing the school uniform, standing proudly beside her son receiving their special star. Mr. Narumi was generous enough to send her the photo of her son getting the highest honor in his school, because Subaru had stopped writing to her a long time ago. And there he was, standing in front of her all tall, grown, and masculine with braided hair.

She remembered receiving a call from the Academy four years ago, explaining the aftermath of the Alice war and how her kids were trapped in space time. She silently wept the whole time, blamed herself for sending off her kids to that wretched academy. And there wasn't a single night she didn't spent weeping in the last four years. Despite her husband's efforts to calm her down she still never got over it. Mother's heart. She knew something huge was about to happen because Sakurano was standing there on her doorstep.

She had no contact from the Academy after that phone call, rather she avoided it. Except for the anonymous letter she once received. To her surprise at the time, it was an apology letter asking her forgiveness for what happened to her kids. She suspected that it was from the Hyuuga Natsume boy who was responsible for the mess. She never wrote back, because a part of her heart hated him. After all he was the root of it.

Over the years she learned to forgive him. She knew that he'd do the same for her daughter too. She learned that the time her children spent in the Academy, they formed a strong bond with the fellow Alice. And with a bond so strong, they'd do anything for their 'Family'. So she figured over time that if it was her daughter who died in the war, that Hyuuga boy would sacrifice himself to bring her back too. Because they were all a family. She prayed that wherever her children were they'd be safe. And that they had each other, wherever they were.

And now that someone from the Academy was here she knew something was to change. She welcomed him in.

"We're setting off today," he declared. She looked confused, so he further explained, "We are going to find them."

She waited four years to hear this. Tears uncontrollably flowed out. Tears of hope. Tears of joy. Tears of relief.

"Th-thank...you," she managed to articulate between her sobs. Sakurano hugged the lady and calmed her down.

"I am sorry it took so long, but I promise you Imai-san, the next time I set foot in this house I'll bring your son and daughter with me. I promise you." He patted her head. For a moment, she felt as though it was Subaru who was holding her.

"Please forgive us for the trouble we've caused you for the last four years. On behalf of the Academy, I apologize." He bowed again.

"Thank you...I forgive you..." She said wiping off her tears, "At first I hated the Academy. It destroyed my family. Tore me apart from my kids, but over the four years I learned to dig out the good things that has happened due to it. My kids developed a strong bond while staying there. Hotaru and Subaru never had the sibling-like bond before, but from what I've heard, their relationship was strengthened thanks to the Academy. And I am glad that they have friends like you. Thank you, son. God bless you."

Sakurano took his leave and headed out, to be greeted by the first golden rays of the rising sun, marking the start of a whole new adventure.

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**A/N: This chapter was mainly written by edwardelric108 and edited by Sonic-Keyblade007 and Neverlookback756. Please leave us a review to share your thoughts! **


	2. Chapter 2: First Step

**Authors' Notes: This is the edited second chapter to "Finding Hotaru." We hope you enjoy it!**

**This story is written by co-ordinate efforts of: Edwardelric108, Sonic-Keyblade007, NeverLookBack756.**

**Warning: Contains spoilers from last three chapters of manga. Story starts off immediately from chapter 180.**

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**Chapter 2: First step**

Two hooded men made their way into the abandoned warehouse on near the port. They knocked twice at the iron door. A man slid open a small window revealing only his eyes.

"Password," he demanded.

"Shometsu*" The man closed the window. A few minutes later, with a creaking sound the door was ajar. The hooded men walked in to be greeted by gunpoint.

" You can't handle a 16 year old girl!" the woman holding the gun demanded. She has long red hair tied up in a half pony.

"I'm sorry madam, but- "

"I don't want to hear your excuses. You have some nerve showing up her without the girl!" She stepped toward to them slowly. The closer she got, the more anxious they became. "You're a shitty excuse of a man!" She punched the man hard in the stomach with so much force, that he dropped to his knees. "Pathetic. " She hit his head with the gun's handle, causing the poor fellow to spit blood out from between his lips. His partner shook in fear. He was next in line.

"Scarlet, let him finish."

A cold, thin voice came from the shadows. He was a masculine man, clad in black from top to toe. The second he walked onto the premises, the air got icy. He looked well in his twenties but the several scars on his body told that he had fought many fierce battles. They were his scars of glory. One such scar adorned his left cheek. His black attire almost camouflaged him in the shadows. Scarlet bowed down. The other men did the same.

"Master!" they greeted in unison. With a slight nod, the dark figure signaled the men to stand up. Every single of them obeyed.

"Speak up !" He ordered to one of the men.

"Osouji-sama, the girl was not alone. They were there. He was there."

"They?" Scarlet enquired.

"The pheromone guy, that shape shifter and...well..." His partner replied for him, but couldn't finish the sentence.

"_Speak up you coward_!" Their Boss had obviously lost his patience.

"...And...the Kuro Neko..." He whispered in fear. Everyone, including the lady and the Boss, stared at him in awe.

"He's alive?" Scarlet whispered in disbelief.

"Kenji!" The Boss ordered. A bespectacled teen of around 13 came and bowed to him. "Is he telling the truth?" Kenji walked upto the two men. He brought up his fingertips and touched their foreheads. Images of fire and a tall guy controlling it rushed into his mind. The image of a few teenage girls by the sea followed. Then all of a sudden one of the girls turned into a grown man. A feminine guy with curly hair appears from behind, knocking the two men out.

Satisfied, Kenji withdraws his hand. He bows and replies, "Hai, Osouji-sama. They aren't lying."

The Boss smirks, to everyone's surprise. "So my men were defeated by a traitor, a gay and a zombie. How very pitiful!"

This was not good. The Boss was angry, and those two knew this was their end.

"Lemme take care of these two wimps, Osouji-sama." Scarlet said while pointing the gun at those two.

"I'll deal with them myself" He drawled, cracking his knuckles. The men screamed in pain. The Boss wasn't even touching them, not even twitching or blinking. Simply by his gaze fixed on those two, he inflicted them unbearable pain.

"Scarlet, I want you to investigate where they are heading. And why. I want the report by tomorrow," he ordered before leaving.

"It'll be done, Osoujisama." She bowed.

"I'll be needing your company after dinner tonight. My headquarters," the Boss ordered Scarlet. Kenji blushed at the thought of "company". He knew well what his boss meant, but he dared not to chuckle. Scarlet bowed down in delight.

"I'd be happy to accompany you, my lord." He smirked as he walked back into the shadows.

* * *

"Okay! Journey to find Hotaru commences! " Mikan announced as she walked out of her house carrying her suitcase. Natsume, Ruka, and Noda-sensei followed close to her. They smiled at her enthusiasm. Same old Mikan. Time doesn't change everything.

"Be careful now, Mikan, you hear!?" Ji-chan nagged her.

"I know. I know," she replied. She wrapped her arms around his frail body, giving him a goodbye hug. "I'm not alone, you know. I have Natsume, Ruka pyon and sensei."

"Don't forget me," a familiar voice called from behind. She turned to discover Shuichi Sakurano standing beside the van. He had braid up his hair neatly and was wearing a coat, seemingly ready for an adventure.

"Sakurano-sempai?" She was confused.

"I can't allow you guys to go and rescue the Imai siblings by yourself. Subaru's my best friend, I'll tag along too."

"Yay! The more, the better." Mikan cheered. Ji-chan was relieved that someone 'mature' was accompanying the gang.

walked out of the house, finally to wave her goodbye. He refused to see her all morning, he was upset that she was leaving, but he managed to come and say good bye. Mikan shook his hand and hugged him tightly. "Take care of Ji chan, Mr. Bear." He nodded.

"Let's go then." Noda announced.

"Make sure you write to me." Ji-chan said as he waved.

"I will. You take care now." Mikan said as she got into the car. "And don't forget to inform my school that I'm sick or something. "Ji-chan didn't need to be told that, he was an expert of making such excuses for Mikan's absences.

"Don't worry about that. You just bring Hotaru-chan home."

With the goodbyes taken care of, the group filed into the car. Ruka took a window seat while Mikan took the other with Natsume beside them in the middle. Sakurano rode shot gun as Noda drove ahead. Mikan happily hummed a tune.

"She looks overjoyed." Ruka whispered in Natsume's ears, " You must have had a great time last night. " He winked. "So how was it? Your first time? " He continued teasing. Only Ruka could dare tease Natsume that way, or Mikan for that matter. Had it been someone else, they'd be toast right now.

Natsume hated when Ruka wanted details on his love life. Even during that time on Christmas Eve, he avoided telling Ruka about those kisses and vows. After all, Ruka was his former rival in love. Besides, to brag about his relationship with Mikan seemed a little cruel and insensitive. But he owed Ruka too much. He was his best friend and he deserved to know. Ruka was there all along with them through those 4 years, keeping him mentally strong that Mikan would definitely remember him and that she wouldn't have found someone. That was the worst fear he had for the past 4 years: Mikan finding new love. It was Ruka who helped him overcome that fear and have hope. And it was Ruka who managed to convince him, not to burn Mikan's boyfriend, if she had one. So he decided that Ruka deserved to know.

"Wet."

"Naturally it would be." Ruka replied. Natsume noticed his cheeks reddening. Ruka misunderstood. Wasn't Natsume supposed to be the perverted friend?

"No, I mean wet from tears."

"Oh!" Ruka comprehended "So you guys-"

"-didn't do anything" Natsume finished for him. That made sense. They wouldn't have changed so fast. Mikan was still the same Mikan they knew four years ago. Ruka was kind of relieved.

"What are you two whispering there?" Mikan enquired.

"Nothing," they said in unison. "Not something little girls like you should indulge in."

"Shut up you meanie."

"Strawberry patterned."

"Pervert."

"Stupid."

"Nasty fox."

"Cut it out you two!" Sakurano settled them. "Act your age."

Yeah well some things never change no matter how old you get. Mikan got back to humming her song. "What's that song you're humming ,Sakura-san?"

"Oh! It's the song Hotaru and I sang at the karaoke competition when we were in elementary school here. That competition was the start of our friendship, so I thought it'd be a good luck charm along the way, right?"

"Yeah." Noda sensei said scratching his French beard.

"So where are we going by the way?" Mikan asked.

"You weren't paying any attention to what I was saying last night?" Noda said.

"Actually it was all too much for me to process, so I stopped understanding about halfway through." Everyone sweat dropped.

"We are visiting an old friend of mine. He's also a time walker like me. He's a lot more skilled, actually. He's strange and mysterious, it's hard to find him because he keeps moving from dimension to dimension, barely staying few days in the same place. I had a hard time tracking him down and contacting him. It took me two whole years to locate him. He's waiting for us at Tokyo." Noda tried to simplify as much as he could.

"Wow, that sounds like a lot of work." She was obviously impressed.

"Yeah well we all just didn't sit and laze around in the last four years," Natsume commented.

"So what's his name?" Mikan asked.

"He never reveals it. He's a timewalker, but he's also able to change dimensions. With that sort of power comes responsibility, and he needs to be far more careful about revealing his personal details. I just merely skip time, so its okay for me, but he lives in obscurity. He calls himself Paradox."

"Apt." Sakurano comments. Mikan wondered what "Paradox" meant.

"..." Mikan sulked "...I'm bored..." Sakurano was busy studying the road maps to guide Noda, Ruka was napping. And Natsume, well our kuro neko was busy reading Fairy Tail chapter 345.

"We've only been on the road for a half hour." Natsume commented, obviously irritated from being disturbed while reading his manga. He put the manga on his lap to entertain his fiance.

"So what? It's boring. Let's play a game, guys! "she suggested.

"How about we read your diary and entertain ourselves." Natsume took out her Pink Journal from his backpack and waved it in front of her. Her eyes widened. How did he-?

"GIVE IT BACK!" Mikan yelled. "NATSUME!" She started throwing punches at him and tried to grab her precious journal from him. "Where did you even get that!?" He stretched his hand high up beyond the reach of his fiance. His tall masculine hands made it difficult for her to grab it. Ruka stirred in his sleep. Without even opening the diary, Natsume spoke.

"When I get out of here, I want to go to the beach with everyone. I want to ride a train with Natsume...Aww..." He recited the words from his memory with perfect accuracy. He had managed to learn every single word from his fiance's diary, and actually he found it quite amusing. Despite Mikan's constant punches, he continued. "I want to go on a date with Natsume. I want to- Oi! Cut it out Mikan!" He couldn't finish reciting because of Mikan's constant tickling and punches. "If you continue to punch me, I won't take you on a date, you know," He teased her.

"I don't wanna go on a date with a meanie fox like you." She tried to reach the Journal again.

"Is that so? It also says here that you wanna have a grand weddi-"

"Shut up Shut up Shut up! Natsume you're such an idiot!" Mikan screamed from embarrassment.

"Guys keep it down please. I am trying to catch some sleep." Ruka complained.

"Sorry Ruka-pyon. I can't help it! Natsume's bullying me. Again. Make him stop!" Mikan showed crocodile tears.

"Shut up Polka." Natsume was irritated at the fact that Mikan was ignoring him.

"Pervert." Mikan couldn't stay mad at him. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but it was nice to have Natsume back. She grabbed his fingers in hers and laughed.

"Are they always like this?" Sakurano asked Noda.

"That's their way of flirting, I guess," the time traveler replied.

"Ne, Noda sensei how much longer?" Mikan asked.

"Almost there, just a few minutes more. I am looking for the park Paradox told me about. Sakurano san can you find it on the map?"

* * *

A young man dressed shabbily, hair unkempt and a stubble which badly needed a shave was swinging on one of the tiny swings in the park. The buttons on his coat were dangling some even missing. A tattered hat sat on his head, leaving an ounce of shade right on his eyebrows and eyes. In his right pocket he kept an old cigar and in the other, was a pocket watch from the 19th century. He took out his pocket watch, which amazing was still in working condition.

"If my calculations are right, Noda should be around the next corner, probably confused about the roads." He sighed. He continued talking to himself, "Maybe I should go and guide him here. But then again I haven't done that in past. He'll find his way to the park using that pretty girl's advice. Maybe I should wait." He fidgeted with his dangling button and concluded his debate, "Yes I'll wait. Don't want to mess up with time. I have already altered it too much. He'll be here in 7 minutes and 58 seconds anyways. Meanwhile let me watch the grass grow by 0.0002 millimeters. How very fascinating!" He chuckled.

* * *

**A/N- Thanks for reading! We appreciate any feedback and comments you'd like to share, so make sure to review if you're enjoying the story! This chapter was written by Edwardelric108 and edited by Sonic-Keyblade007 and Neverlookback756.**


	3. Chapter 3: Paradox

**A/N: The story's getting exciting isn't it? Enjoy!**

**Chapter 3: Paradox**

"Ah! Nodachi there you are, 7:23:08 PM. Right on the scheduled arrival," Paradox said as he stood up from the swing to greet his old friends. He walked over with a bounce in his step.

"Paradox." Noda greeted him with a handshake, not surprised by his previous comment.

"Wait, you knew we were going to come at _this precise _time?" Mikan asked amazed at his skill, or Alice as they put it.

"Of course I knew it, my dear." Paradox said while patting her head, "Good job on the directions by the way. If it weren't for you, they wouldn't have found this park, right?"

Mikan's jaw dropped. Who was this fellow? How'd he know it was Mikan who spotted the park and not Sakurano? It was absolutely amazing nevertheless! Natsume on the other hand was annoyed. He had the get-your-hands-off-my-girl look. Noda was nonchalant over the situation. Sakurano too seemed unaffected by Paradox's 'charms'.

"So Mia?" He addressed Mikan, "Or was it Miyu?" He wondered.

"It's Mikan," she helped him.

"Ah! Yes" he recollected now, "An old man's brain. Tends to forget things." Paradox knocked his fist against his head and chuckled.

"But you're quite young, sir." Ruka too was utterly confused. "And how'd you know Sakura's name?"

"Never trust your sight, my animal lover friend. There's some truth in your fiction and some fiction in your truth. Looks can be deceptive, you know." He sat on the bench nearby, shoved his hands in his pocket. " That goes for you too, pyro. Don't rely too much on what you see."

"How do you know so much about us? " Natsume was annoyed at the strange man. Who the hell did he think he was anyway? He didn't want to trust an old geezer who could easily pass for a beggar.

"Ah! You'll grow to trust me, I know. Well let's get to work shall we?" Paradox reminded them. He paused and thought for a moment."What's the problem? Remind me again Noda."

"It's the Imai siblings they're trapped in the space time."

"How long?"

"About four years, Paradox"

"_Four years?!_" Paradox was amazed, "So that's what must have been causing all time ripples and disturbances in my journey. And I never bothered to check it out, thinking it was mere side effects of my travels. How irresponsible of me! I should have checked it out earlier. Not many 'non time travel alice users' survive that long in this dimension."

"You mean we can't do anything now?" Mikan asked worried.

"No darling, we'll definitely help your best friend and her brother. They both must be extraordinary to have survived there this long. Then again the healing alice must have helped them heal wounds inflicted by time. It makes sense now." Paradox assured her, "So how exactly did they end up there?"

There was an awkward silence. Natsume could feel everyone's gaze on his head.

"Well, they changed the future by reviving this boy." Noda pointed towards Natsume.

"So, you're the cause of this mess, eh? Kuro Neko." Paradox called out to him.

'_Who is this guy? A time traveler or a mind reader?_' Ruka and Mikan wondered.

Natsume's annoyance suddenly changed into guilt. Something he had been feeling since past 4 years, he was guilty that it was because of him that Hotaru was trapped there. He even considered going to Imai household and apologizing in person to the mother, but never mustered up the courage to do so. Yes, _the _Kuro Neko was not courageous enough to talk to a middle aged mother. Ironic. But he somehow managed to write a letter to her when he started high school, but never signed the letter. Somehow he knew she'd figure out it was him. And here was Paradox making him feel guilty again.

"Don't worry I am sure the letter must have conveyed your feelings to the lady." Paradox sympathized. Natsume sent him a deathly glare, "Shut up!"

"Natsume!" Mikan yelled at him, " is just trying to help us."

"It's okay dear, I am used to his coldness."

"Are you God, ?" Mikan innocently asked. Paradox burst into a fit of laughter.  
"No my dear," Paradox said amused at her assumption. "But I am sure god hates me."

"Why do you say that?" Ruka asked.

"Because I disobey him. I break his rules of time and dimension. I play with time like it's a game. I try to tame his favorite and most dangerous wild animal, TIME. That's why." Paradox had a serious look. A look which prisoners on death row have. Mikan and Ruka gulped in fear. Mikan feared that God might hate Hotaru too. 'Please God, forgive Hotaru, she did it for me. Please don't hate her for that.' She mentally prayed. "Let's not get distracted anymore. I have limited time here." Paradox glanced at his pocket watch again.

"So, Paradox you have to help us rescue the siblings," Noda concluded.

"It's difficult you know."

"Yes, we are aware of that," Sakurano said ending his long silence. "But there has to be a way. I mean you practically defy every aspect of time, right? Paradox?"

"Of course there's a way. There's always a way." Paradox took the cigar out and started rotating it in his hand, "Are you willing to risk it all?"

"Yes." Mikan said without a thought.

"Don't be too impatient girl. That sort of attitude gets people killed," Paradox snapped at her. She shivered at his voice. A minute ago he was all sweet to her and now? No wonder he's called Paradox. He's one huge contradiction.

"Hey, don't talk to her like that." Natsume warned him. His hand felt warm with a sensation that meant that a flame would soon appear, but he restrained himself.

"So what's the plan?" Noda asked.

The pocket watch started ringing. Do pocket watches ring? Well its Paradox's pocket watch, anything can happen. "Oh! It's 8:43:53 PM already! Damn! I must leave now. Sorry folks, can't stay. Gotta stay alive. We'll meet again. In two days time."

"Where?" Sakurano asked.

"The old watch factory in the 5th Prefecture. If my memory's right then the three of you will be there by 09:35:46 PM. See you kids." And with that he disappeared into thin air. _Poof_. Gone. Vanished. Leaving behind an utterly confused group of adventurers.

Three?

There were five of them.

"Three rooms please," Noda said, "Standard ones." Noda said at the reception of the nearest hotel they found in Tokyo. They didn't want to go back to Academy without Hotaru and Subaru. He came to the waiting lounge with the keys in his hand.

"Okay I've booked three rooms. One for me and Sakurano-san. One for the boys and one for Sakura-san."

"No," Natsume interrupted Noda who was distributing the keys, "Mikan shouldn't stay alone. I'll sleep with her." Mikan's face redden at his bold statement. Nodachi raised an eyebrow, glancing from Natsume, to the pink on Mikan's cheeks.

"Okay then." He handed Mikan's room keys to Natsume. "Sakurano-san you accompany Ruka, I'll stay alone."

"Let's all eat. The long journey has made me super hungry," Mikan declared.

"Yeah, me too. I'm starving," Ruka said.

"Let's eat at the restaurant." Sakurano led the way. Mikan grabbed Natsume's hand and they walked in.

"So what's up with that whacko guy?" Natsume asked as he stuffed some bread into his mouth.

"Yeah, it was like he knew us, so well." Ruka supported his best friend's question.

"He's a strange person didn't I tell you that. " Noda answered, "He is a living map of space-time dimension. He has literally travelled everywhere: past, present and future of all the dimensions. He knows everything about everyone, because he's seen their past and future."

"How can he remember everything in his brain?" Mikan wondered aloud. "That's a lot of information."

"His Alice. His Dimensional Alice has developed his brain to an extraordinary level. His brain is the map of space and time. He knows all the shortcuts in the realm of time. He practically defies time." Noda took a sip from his sake and continued, "Notice how he often talks in past tense? That's because he's already experienced all this things, he's already been here. He's revisiting this time."

"How old is he exactly?" Ruka questioned, "I mean he looks well in his late twenties, but he speaks as if he was here since ages."

"I don't know his age." Noda replied, "He doesn't either. I asked him once the same question. 'I've forgotten, my dear friend. What's the use of remembering such useless detail anyway, right?' That's what he told me."

"Useless details, huh?" Mikan repeated.

"He's probably untouched by ravages of time. He has stopped aging due to his alice, He's probably over a 1000 years old." Sakurano concluded. Everyone gave an awe of wonder at the last piece of information.

"Why does he suddenly disappear?" Mikan asked.

"Like he said, 'God hates him,'" Noda quoted him. "He never stays in same place for more than a few hours. He plays with time, it's not safe for him to stay in a place, his body begins to rot if he stay too long. It's a side effect, or rather, a curse of his alice."

Mikan almost choked on her rice ball on hearing this. Natsume sensed her uneasiness.

"That's enough talk about that weirdo," He said sternly.

"Hyuuga's right. Let's finish up and retire to bed soon. It's been a long day," Sakurano concluded.

The two lovers lay silently on the bed, staring into each other's eyes. Neither of them speaking anything. She smiled at him. He smiled back, which was a rarity.

"I love your smile," She told him. " You should smile more often."

"I'll try," he said as he caressed her face. He started fidgeting with her long brown silky locks. This was the first time he did so. He twirled the strands around in his fingers and felt the softness on his skin. She blushed at the thought of this.

"You let your hair down. You remembered your promise."

"It wasn't much of a promise, idiot." she teased. "You demanded that I do it."

"Shut up," he mumbled with a small smile on his lips.

"I had dreams about it, you know. You telling me to let my hair down." She said in a low whisper. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "I thought if I did so I would find you."

"And that you did," he said before burying his head in her hair, smelling it. Strawberry. He smelled sweet delicious strawberry. He was enjoying it, until she disturbed him.

"What letter was paradox talking about?"

"Nothing," he really didn't want to talk about that wacko again, he had given him enough of a headache as it is.

"Natsume! Tell me. Why are you hiding things from me?" She was clearly annoyed, she sat up on the bed.

"It's no big deal okay? Let it go." He assured her.

"You really are an idiot. I don't see what the problem i-."

"Mikan, stop it. Please." There was dead seriousness in his voice. Mikan was shocked. She knew she better let it go.

"I'm sorry," she said, with teary eyes.

There was a pause, and then he asked,"Do you hate me?"

"What?" Mikan asked in disbelief, "What are you saying Natsume?"

"Don't you hate me? It's because of me your best friend is suffering, and you said you feel guilty when you're around me and yo-" Before he could finish his sentence, his mouth was covered by hers. Her hand was placed softly on the side of his face. She deepened the kiss when he didn't respond. This was rare. Usually he always would enthusiastically respond while kissing. He tasted salty tears at the rim of her mouth. He backed off to brush away from her tears.

"I would never _ever _hate you for anything Natsume, okay?" She cupped his face "I love you. I always have." She forced him to look her in the eye. "And I always will." It wasn't the first time she'd said it, but Natsume still loved hearing it all the same. He kissed her after hearing those much needed words, and the two lovers dozed off to sleep in each other's arms.

Scarlet lay beside him, admiring his disrobed body. Her red dress scattered shabbily all over his face. She knew he was awake, just closing his eyes to relax for a while and get ready again. He always does it. But she never rests in between, she loves to watch him. Admire his body. His looks. His charms. She loved the defined curves of his chest and lower abdomen. She loved when sometimes he would sit in the candlelight for relaxation, the dim light would flood over his skin. She loved his dark eyes on her body in the late night. Their relationship was somewhat twisted, but he made her feel like a woman.

"Aren't you going to catch some sleep?" he asked her. Finally opening his eyes.

"No, Osouji-sama. I'm fine," she replied. He smirked at her silliness.

"You're a strong woman. I like that about you." he said as he caressed her hair. She was overjoyed on hearing the word 'like'. Her cheeks flushed up instantly.

"You're blushing," he commented.

"Sorry about that, Osouji-sama." she apologized thinking he didn't like her blushing.

He grabbed her and kissed her roughly, she responded with enthusiasm as she moved her tongue in sync with his. They continued their rough french kiss until he pulled away. She never backed out first. Never. She made sure her master enjoyed to his satisfaction. He continued planting open mouthed kisses all over her bare shoulder, her chest, and everywhere he could manage to. Scarlet silently enjoyed the pleasure, preparing herself of the impending mission. She cannot fail him.

Never.

**A/N- What'd you guys think? If you have any comments and suggestions, leave us a review! We love hearing from you. This chapter was written by edwardelric108 and edited by Sonic-Keyblade007 and Neverlookback756.**


	4. Chapter 4: Teenage

**A/N: So this is a light fluffy chapter on our teenage gang. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 4****: Teenage**

* * *

Natsume woke up in middle of night, only to find the bed beside him empty. He panicked a little. "Mikan?" he called out. No reply. "Mikan!" He was louder this time. Still silence. He got out of his bed and could now view the light coming from the bathroom door. _She's probably peeing_, he thought. He knew she'd probably kill him if he sneaked in, but he just wanted to make sure she was in there. Regardless of how overprotective he felt, he knocked onto the door.

"Mikan?" he called out sleepily.

"What?!" she snapped back. He was taken aback. Why was she shouting at him in middle of night for absolutely no reason?

"Just wanted to make sure you're okay. That's all, no need to shout. "

"Oh yeah, I'm superb. Now go away! " She sounded annoyed. Was that even a hint of sarcasm? Since when was Mikan sarcastic? "And don't you dare take a peak!"

"Tch." He smirked and laid down on the bed. A few minutes later, Mikan joined him. She lifted his arm, placed it around her waist, and snuggled in his embrace. He mentally smiled.

.;.

"Good morning!" Mikan announced as she shook her fiance. "Come on, wake up Natsume! We have to go shopping." Natsume stirred in his sleep, obviously wanting to sleep longer. "Natsume..."

"Quit whining so early in morning. You're gonna tear my eardrums," he said with irritation.

"What did you just say to me?!" Mikan was furious now. She had waited long for him to wake up and now he was ignoring her, "I _knew _you would ditch me! FINE! I'll go with Ruka-pyon instead. _He _won't ditch me."

"Wait, what? Ditch you?" Natsume stood up straight. "What the hell are you talking about? " He said rubbing his sleepy eyes. "And why are you shouting for no reason?"

"_No reason_?! You think I'm shouting for _no reason_?!" She stomped out of their room. "Go ahead! You carry on _sleeping _and reading your _stupid mangas._ See if I care! I'm going shopping with Ruka-pyon." She slammed the door behind her. Natsume's mind was still trying to cope with the drama that just happened. "PISS OFF!" he heard her scream from outside their door.

"What the heck?" He was dumbfounded. He thought it'd be best to take her shopping. That would be the only way to calm her down. But what does she want to shop, anyway? They were on a scheduled mission to save her best friend's ass and she wants to go shopping?

He switched his pajama boxers from a pair of trouser, not bothering for a shower or a new T shirt. Bathed in a deodorant, he took the room keys and stormed off to Ruka's room.

.;.

"Eh? Why are you calling Natsume, Ruka-pyon? He's not interested in coming. " He could hear her loud voice from outside Ruka's room. Natsume swung the door open.

"Who said I'm not coming?"

"Oh, hey Natsume. I was just about to call you," Ruka greeted him. "Sakura wants to go shopping."

"Really? You'll come?" Mikan's eyes changed to sparkles. "Yay!" She clapped her hands and ran to hug him. She pecked him on the cheek as a sign of gratitude.

_She was an erupting volcano a few minutes ago and now she's all lovey dovey?_ Natsume pondered. _What the heck's wrong with this girl?_

"So why do you want to go shopping anyways? You know we aren't here in Tokyo to have fun," he reminded her.

"I know that, but we're going to meet tomorrow right?"

"At 09:35:46 PM" Ruka precisely remembered. He was curious to see if they would really make it at that very moment. Paradox wasn't wrong about other stuff earlier, but still Ruka wanted to test his expertise.

"Yeah, so we've the entire day to ourselves. Let's go then!" she announced grabbing Natsume's hand. "Come on Ruka-pyon, you too!"

Sakurano, who was in the shower, heard all the commotion and sweat dropped. Natsume and Ruka hadn't had any experience with a hormonal teenage girl before. It would be interesting to see how they deal with Mikan on her period. He chuckled at the thought.

.;.

"Lingerie?" Natsume's eyes twitched in anger and a hint of excitement."You brought us all the way to this mall just to buy freaking underwear." Ruka reddened from head to toe.

"Hey! It's none of your business what I want to buy, okay?"

"Of course it's my business. I am paying the bills here," he reminded her.

"No one asked you to pay!" Her voice tone was getting higher.

"Why have you been yelling at me so much?" he asked curious. Given, they did fight an awful lot, but today she was being way too unreasonable.

"_Ugh!_ You'll never understand! Neither of you." She marched into the store, clutching her stomach. She had been getting these cramps ever since last night. Seeing the pained expression on her face, he followed her. Ruka dared not to enter the store.

"Hey, are you okay?" Natsume asked softly as grabbed her arm and turned her towards him.

"No...I'm really not. It hurts Natsume." She started sobbing, "My stomach really hurts, and I'm really tired too." He checked her temperature. She didn't fever or anything. So what...?

Then all of sudden reality dawned on him. Her waking up in middle of night. The strange mood swings. And not to mention a trip to a lingerie store. He knew the next stop: The Pharmacist. He never paid attention in health class - he never paid attention in any of his classes - but he well knew what 'disease' these symptoms pointed out to. She wasn't just in the bathroom to pee that night.

"You're on your period," he said in astonishment. He almost laughed at the thought of that. His Mikan was a woman now. Of course. He held back his smirk, fearing another explosion from his fiancé. It was for the first time he was dealing with Mikan in her current state. Wait. What was he so happy about it? Now he would have to deal with this craziness every single month.

"Don't say that out loud,you idiot." She smacked him. Her tears and her cramps subsided by then. She shrugged off his grip and walked to the counter.

"_What do you mean you don't have polka dot print?!_" The sales lady was her new target. Natsume on the other hand couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I am terribly sorry ma'am." She bowed down in apology.

"That's not acceptable! What kind of store doesn't have _polkadot pattern_?!"

"Sorry ma'am. We're out of stock for that one."

Seeing her argue with the sales lady, Natsume thought he should intertwine, lest something would break following which he'd have to pay the damage.

"Don't mind my ill tempered fiance. You see she's on her period."

"I told you not to announce it out loud!" she snapped at him. The sales lady sweat dropped.

"So, what other patterns you got?" He ignored her and carried on his conversation. The sales lady was astonished at the strange new couple. Boyfriend,husbands and fiances hardly ever visited the store, yet here he is. And weren't they a little too young to be engaged? Not to mention he was helping her in her time of complete need. He really must love her alot. A golden couple. How romantic! The flowers emitting from her were spreading in all directions. _I wish I find a hot boyfriend like him._

"Hey! Hello. Other patterns please," Natsume reminded her.

"Ah! Sorry." She returned from her day dreaming." We've have floral, strawberry pattern, panda print, hearts, lined..." She said as she laid out the patterns on the desk for them to see and choose.

"We'll take the strawberry one," both Mikan and Natsume said in unison. They looked at each other. Mikan couldn't help but laugh at their similar choice.

_Wow. They really are a golden couple,_ the sales lady thought.

"Next to polka dots that's my favorite," Natsume commented. Mikan couldn't believe he just said that.

"Natsume, you're such a pervert!" The lady giggled at them as she packed their 'item' for them.

"Here you go," the lady said handing over the bag to them. "Have fun tonight guys." She winked at them.

"We always do," Natsume replied with a calm aura. Mikan glared daggers him.

"Sorry to keep you waiting Ruka-pyon! " she sang as she walked out of the store. Natsume of course was unwillingly carrying the bags.

"Oh...uh...It's fine," was all the embarrassed guy could manage.

"Next stop Pharmacist."

"Umm...wasn't Sakura really mad a few minutes ago?" a confused Ruka asked his best friend.

"It's that time of the month," came the quick reply.

"What? Really? " Ruka turned redder than he already was. "Sorry man."

"You're gonna have to deal with it too remember," Natsume warned. He brought his fist up and gave Ruka a playful punch on the shoulder.

"Guys, hurry up!" Mikan shouted from in front of them.

"A box of tampons," Mikan demanded. "And a strip of Midol."

"Here you go miss. That would be 800 yen." Natsume handed over the money to the pharmacist and walked out.

"Done?" Natsume asked.

"Yup."

"Let's get out of this place. "

"It's already noon, why don't we grab lunch and go." Ruka suggested.

"No! My feet are killing me and not to mention this stupid idiotic cramps, _ugh_!" Mikan grumbled in frustration, "I want to go and lie down," she demanded.

"Umm, sorry Sakura...I didn't know that." Ruka never thought he'd live to see the day when Mikan utterly terrified him.

"Let's go back to hotel then." Natsume patted Ruka on his back as a sympathetic gesture. But it was Natsume that Ruka was more worried about. Poor Natsume will have to deal with this drama every month, now.

"Ah! Now that's what I call a lunch." Mikan burped. "Oops sorry."

"Hah! Looks like you had fun shopping today." Noda noticed.

"Yeah!" she said cheerfully.

'No' Natsume and Ruka mentally answered.

"Let's all have a little afternoon siesta and then meet up in evening to discuss tomorrow's plan." Sakurano suggested.

"I want a dessert," Mikan mumbled.

"Okay. See you guys later,." Ruka said while getting up from his seat.

"I want a dessert" Mikan said louder, but no one heard her.

"Let's go, polka dots."

"_I said, I want dessert._" She screamed at the four dumbstruck guys in front of her.

"Calm down Sakura, which desert do you prefer?" Noda politely asked her.

"No," Natsume stated.

"What?"Mikan hissed back.

"I said, no." Natsume glared at her. "Ruka and I have carted you around all day and you've done nothing except yell and boss us around. We get that you're in pain, but you're acting like a spoiled baby. We don't mind getting you the dessert, but don't scream for it. And go back to your normal self!" Mikan's eyes softened.

"I'm sorry guys," she mumbled. "I've really been awful all day, haven't I?" The men around her couldn't help but smile.

"It's okay Sakura-san," Noda said. "We like having you around." Mikan smiled her normal smile and ordered her dessert.

"Wait till she gets pregnant Hyuuga. I am sure you'll love it then," Sakurano whispered to him. Natsume glared at him.

The gang retired to bed only after Mikan had a satisfying dessert of chocolate soufflé.

"What are you looking at?" Natsume asked Mikan who was staring at his face for over 10 minutes now. The two were cuddling on the bed after the heavy meal, when all of sudden Mikan took a sudden interest in Natsume's face, particularly his chin.

She reached out her hand and touched chin, it was somewhat rough.

"You have a beard." She giggled at the idea. Natsume never had a beard before. It was her first time seeing him with one. She grazed her fingers over the small hairs.

"It's called a stubble idiot," he corrected her.

He didn't even have time in the morning to take a shower, how the hell was he gonna shave? And who's fault it was again?

"Well, that stubble needs to be shaved." She ran off to cupboard and grabbed his bag. She fished out his razor and hopped onto the bed again. "And I'll shave it for you."

"Forget it. I'll do it myself. Knowing your clumsiness you'll probably give me a scar."

"No," she protested. He knew it wasn't a good idea to argue right now.

"You'll have to put on shaving cream first."

"This one?" She took out a Gillette shaving cream can from his bag. He nodded

She carefully pumped out a foam and took it in her hands, she smeared it up on his chin from right to left. It was soft. It was smooth. It reminded her of fluff puffs. She giggled at the thought. After that she picked up the razor and gave a stroke, starting from his ear to his chin.

"Yay! I did it!"

"Hurry up and finish it."

"Hai! Hai!"

When the razor had shaved away all the stubble, Mikan examined Natsume. His chin was smooth for the most part, as she had missed a spot or two. Then she took it all in together. She couldn't help but blush at the upclose look of Natsume.

'He looks sexier upclose.' She panicked that she almost said that out loud. If she had she would never hear the end of it.

"You're really handsome, Natsume. You know that?" Mikan commented with a giggle to her voice. She pecked his nose and then placed a kiss on his lips. When they pulled apart, Natsume couldn't help but smile at her.

And so for the first time in their lives the two spent their time with each other doing "teenage stuff". They had grown up. They were now teenagers.

Unknown to our teenage heroes a pair of binocular eyes was eyeing them from the skyscraper. Scarlet smiled as she saw the two love birds cuddling. " Gotcha!" An inconfident Kenji stood behind her mentally preparing himself for the upcoming showdown.

.;.

"Is it true?"

"Yes Yukihara-sensei , we've double checked the sources. The AAO is back in action," the new elementary school principal, Jinno said. "In fact they were the ones behind Sakura's attempt kidnapping three days ago. Looks like they have picked up after ESP's clone; their former boss died. "

"It would be wise to call off the 'Finding Hotaru' mission for time being and call everyone back." Jinno said.

"No. I want Mikan to enter the time dimension as soon as possible. That place is safest. No AAO will get her there. Let's keep investigation low profile. And finish them off before Mikan comes back with Hotaru." The HSP said.

"We should call Sakurano for investigation." Shiki suggested.

"But shouldn't he be with Sakura? It would ensure her safety." Jinno pretested.

"No, Jinno sensei. My niece is with Natsume. She could never be in better hands," he assured. "We'll need Sakurano's help here with the investigation. We're low on forces."

"But we should prepare ourselves for a storm now," Shiki warned.

And so it had begun.

* * *

**A/N: And done. Few fluffy moments...hope you all enjoyed! ^^ If you did, drop us a review and let us know what you think! This chapter was written by edwardelric108 and was edited by Sonic-keyblade007 and Neverlookback756.**


	5. Chapter 5: First Encounter

**A/N: Prepare yourselves, this is a big chapter. ^_^**

**Chapter 5 :**** First encounter. **

The gang checked out of the Hotel at late evening and started journey to meet Hotaru. Something was however bothering Ruka, Paradox had said : _"The old watch factory in the 5__th__ Prefecture. If my memory's right, then the three of you will be there by 09:35:46 PM. See you kids " _ He had said three of them. But there were five of them, so why did he say three? Could he have made a mistake? No. He's paradox, he never makes mistake. Then, why?

"Look at that little hooker with that blonde and raven haired hunk. I swear if I had the chance to do them in the bed..." Scarlet stared at the boys hungrily, licking her lips, and watched them get into Noda's car.

"Scarlet the boss said…" Kenji shyly started but was then interrupted by Scarlet's annoyance.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Mikan Sakura is our first priority because the boss needs her to avenge the AAO," Scarlet responded boredly. The words were rehearsed, almost as if she had heard them a thousand times before. "But still it wouldn't hurt to have a little fun, would it?" Scarlet finished with a wink.

Scarlet's pervy response to Kenji seemed to go in one ear and out the other as he was deep in thought. He gazed upon what appeared to be a giggling Mikan teasing and annoying Natsume, through a pair of binoculars. _Wow that girl looks so innocent and beautiful. It's hard to believe that she could really be the key to making this world a better place,_ Kenji thought. He reminded himself of what the boss told him a few weeks ago.

"_Kenji, you are the best person to understand the pain that alices bring, right? Lets put an end to this suffering, my boy. It can be done only by bringing down the Academy," the boss said as he came closer to sympathetically place his hand on Kenji's cheek. "And to do that, we'll have to get that girl." The words spewed out of the boss' mouth as he held out Mikan's photo to Kenji. _

"_Kenji, I'm counting on you and Scarlet to carry out what I cannot is a job I can only entrust to the two of you. I need you and Scarlet to search this country, find Mikan Sakura, and bring her to me. I need her to bring an end to that evil academy, and rid the world of alices so that no child ever has to feel our pain." The boss gave Kenji a desperate 'you're our only hope' look. _

"_Yes sir, I'll do whatever you say, master. Anything to help you complete your goal of making this world a better place," Kenji obeyed while bowing to his parental figure. _

"That's right, I have to put my faith in the boss. He knows best," Kenji murmured to himself as he snapped back to reality. In that instant, he was ready to make his move with Scarlet.

"Aw, come on Natsume! Let's get some ice cream!" Mikan said as she tugged onto her fiance's arm. Natsume sighed. "Besides, we can't go with an empty stomach."

"Mikan, we're not getting ice cream. You can't possibly have an empty stomach, you just had three stacks of pancakes. My gosh woman, how much can your palate handle?"

"_Say that again, I dare you,_" Mikan growled, causing Ruka, Noda, Sakurano, and even Natsume to shake in their boots.

"_Oh damn._"Natsume thought. "_Mikan's still on her period._" With that in mind, Natsume couldn't find much harm in treating her to some ice cream. He turned and put his arm around his fiancé to comfort her to make her happy (and to avoid a beating).

"Hey," Natsume started, slightly softness he added to his voice felt foreign to his lips. "You want ice cream, we'll get you ice cream." Natsume added the smile she loved, and he knew her anger had subsided.

"Yeah! I get to eat ice cream. I get to eat ice cream." Mikan cheered to herself, though Natsume couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed as he knew that was one more thing that he would have to pay for today.

A slight dull buzzing sound from Sakurano's cell phone seemed to break Natsume's concentration. Sakurano picked up to answer, and to his surprise it was the HSP. He didn't say much over the phone, but it was something about an important investigation. Whatever it was, it must've been important. He wouldn't have been pulled away from his mission otherwise.

"It looks like the HSP has some urgent business with me. I really hate to run, but orders are orders. Sorry everyone," Sakurano announced. "Natsume?" he called the fire caster to a corner.

"Listen, I want you to be careful." His tone was dead serious, "It seems that there's a stir in the AAO again. Those men back at Mikan's village worked for the AAO. I am going to further investigate this on HSP's orders. You take care of Mikan, okay?"

"Always do," he said overconfidently. Sakurano knew well his response, but still wanted to warn him.

He shoved his phone back into his pocket and gave the group a last once over. As he began to leave the group, he felt a hand on his back.

"Give Subaru my sincerest regards. No matter what happens: stick to the plan. And go to Paradox. reach the Time dimension as soon as possible. Got it?" And he took off. Even though Sakurano knew that the HSP had his reasons, he couldn't help but feel guilty that he probably wouldn't be able to help his best friend. He knew that if Mikan got called for the investigation, she wouldn't leave the work to someone else, but find Hotaru and then move onto other matters.

"Well I hope all goes well with the HSP," Noda said as he and the gang watched Sakurano walk away.

Natsume couldn't help but wonder. Paradox said that only three would be meeting him. With Sakurano gone, there were four left. Who would be next? He gripped on Mikan's hand and prayed it wasn't her.

"Great! One less idiot to deal with," Scarlet commented as she saw Sakurano walk away from the target. "Maybe he chickened out!"

"I don't think so Scarlet," Kenji said logically. "I think they might have a good reason for this."

"Ice Cream!" Mikan shouted as she continued to tug Natsume's arm.

"_Dammit, I was hoping she forgot about that_." Natsume thought as he rolled his eyes.

"Do we absolutely have to get ice cream now? Weren't we going to meet that smartass, Paradox, at the old factory?" Natsume suggested in an attempt to change the subject.

"Natsume why don't you treat her to some ice cream? I'll come along too and then afterwards we'll head to the old factory to meet Paradox. Getting a little ice cream shouldn't take that long." Ruka said tagging along with his best friend and his fiancé. Natsume shot a glare in the blonde's direction, then let out a sigh.

"Alright then," Natsume surrendered, and the three of them made their departure. Noda with no appetite for ice cream decided to relax in the parlour lounge and wait for the teenagers come back.

With the three teenagers out in the open, Scarlet and Kenji, who had been following the car for a while now, readied to make their move.

"What's a girl like her doing running around with guys like that? They're flawless!" Scarlet commented.

"_Scarlet_!" Kenji pleaded in an attempt to keep the hormone driven girl focused.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know, keep my eyes on the brunette girl," Scarlet moved her eyes to the laughing teenager. "We're going to need bait. If these guys were able to take down the Boss's dime-a-dozen henchmen at the beach, then we better not underestimate them," She warned. She took a deep breath and transformed her body into a replica of Natsume. "Come on Kenji, we'll kidnap their teacher and then use him as bait for the hooker. I'm going to go inside, stay out here and prepare your stun-gun," Scarlet instructed. She dusted off her clothes and entered the hotel lobby room where Noda was sitting down in.

"Natsume-kun? What are you doing back here so quickly? did something happen?" Noda questioned worriedly.

"Yes sensei, Mikan Sakura is in trouble please I need your help sensei!" Scarlet shouted in fear. Her voice was that of Natsume's, but Noda couldn't help but think that something was off. _Mikan Sakura_? Since when did they refer to Mikan in her full name? He knew Natsume would never just abandon Mikan, much less ask someone else for help. There wasn't time to ask questions, so he quickly ran out the door. As soon as he stepped out into the open, he was met with a shock to his neck as Kenji pulled the trigger on his stun gun. Noda dropped to the floor, passed out.

"Sorry sensei, but your capture will lead to the creation of a better and more peaceful world," Kenji said to himself as he place the deadly weapon back into his backpack.

"Well done Kenji. Now let's tie him up and teleport him back to the AAO," Scarlet suggested.

Scarlet and Kenji then tied up Noda and summoned their teleportation henchmen to teleport the poor teacher back to their base. Scarlet took a picture of the professor before he was teleported to make sure that they have proof their capture. When it was time to persuade Mikan to go the base, Scarlet would show her the picture. Judging by information they'd already gathered, the picture should be enough to convince Mikan.

"Alright Kenji, we have our bait now we just need to use it to get brunette and her two hotties to compromise with us," Scarlet said as she crossed her hands and began to think of the naughty thing she could do with Ruka and Natsume.

"Scarlet, I still feel a bit uneasy about this. Even if we have their professor as bait, I still doubt that they will be so willing to compromise with us that easy. Especially the raven haired boy. If we get into a fight, it'll still be three against two. And its the Kuro Neko we are dealing with afterall." Kenji stated.

"You underestimate me kid. You never saw me work as a Dangerous Ability agent in middle school." Scarlet said as she put on blood red lipstick on her lips."I'll deal with two of them, the blondie and the brunette." Kenji nodded in agreement. "I can't wait to see the look on that slut's face when I get to have fun with her boyfriends." Scarlet said as she walked towards her target.

"Are you sure you don't want one Natsume?" Mikan asked worried because her fiancé was missing out on a frozen treat.

"No, I'm fine Mikan. Yes, that will be two vanilla cones." Natsume handed over 500 yen in exchange for the ice cream.

"Thank you, sir! Please do come again!" the young man behind the counter said with a smile.

"_What an idiot._" Natsume thought to himself while rolling his eyes.

"Are you sure you didn't mind paying for us Natsume?" Ruka asked concerned about the financial status of his best friend.

"Don't worry about it. I'm a special star, remember? Just eat your ice cream," Natsume assured. He flashed a smirk in Ruka's direction. "You too Mikan," Natsume added, wrapping his arm around his fiancé.

Mikan smiled and began licking her ice cream cone to prevent the white sticky vanilla from melting on her fingers.

"Hey Natsume," Mikan said in the hopes of getting her fiancé's attention.

"What is it Mika-?" Natsume asked to his surprise as he was met a vanilla ice cream cone attacking his nose.

"Hee hee hee, you have ice cream on your nose Natsume." Mikan stated while giggling.

"Have you lost your mind Mikan? Why did you do that?" Natsume said beginning to lose his temper.

"Come on Natsume have some ice cream with me. We can share this ice cream cone." Mikan suggested.

"Why would I want to eat something that has your slobber all over it?" Natsume said desperately trying to hide the fact that he really would like to share an ice cream cone with his fiancé.

"Come on you mean fox, I know you want to." Mikan persuaded, slightly shoving the ice cream cone in her fiancé's face. Natsume sighed.

"Fine, but I'm only doing this to make sure my money doesn't go to waste." Natsume said as he began to lick the ice cream.

"Hee hee hee. I win." Mikan whispered as she licked the cone along with Natsume.

As Mikan and Natsume continued to eat their vanilla cone together, Ruka watched from the side just staring at the couple. Who could blame him? Mikan and Natsume did look perfect together licking their ice cream without a care in the world, but Ruka couldn't help but feel a terrible sting of jealousy in his heart.

_Why couldn't that be me? Why can't I be sharing an ice cream cone with Mikan right now?_ Ruka thought as he quickly snapped himself back to reality.

"W-what am I thinking? I should be happy for Natsume and Mikan, not jealous, right?" Ruka said quietly to himself as he caught himself in his own jealousy. He forced other thoughts in his head to take his mind off of it.

Mikan and Natsume were enjoying their indirect kisses through their vanilla cone but were interrupted by a nearby explosion. Natsume's mind raced to Sakurano's warning. He became automatically mentally alert.

"What was that?" Mikan screamed as she hugged Natsume's arm in fear of the recent explosion.

"I don't know," Natsume said as he began to scan the area.

"Natsume!" Ruka said as he began to run towards his two best friends. "I don't who or what made those explosions but I think it would be best for us to find Noda-sensei and get out of here," Ruka stated.

"Hmm," Natsume replied. The three of them were about to leave the area but were unfortunately met with another explosion.

"Not so fast you three!" Said a shadowy figure seen in the distance of the explosion. As the smoke cleared, our heroes were presented with a thirteen year old boy who had fiery determination in his eyes.

"Who are you?" Natsume demanded.

"Ruka Nogi, Natsume Hyuuga, and Mikan Sakura. So we finally meet face to face. I've heard a lot about you three from my boss. My name is Kenji and I've come to claim Mikan Sakura. Her capture will lead to the creation of a far more beautiful and peaceful world," Kenji stated. Though Kenji couldn't help but blush slightly when taking a look at Mikan.

'_Wow she's even more beautiful up close.'_ Kenji thought to himself while trying his best to concentrate on his mission. Natsume almost laughed.

"Look kid, I don't know who you think you are, but I'm not handing Mikan over for anything." Natsume stepped in front of Mikan and glared at the young boy with fire in his eyes.

"Yeah I thought you might say that," Kenji said as he brought out a picture of Noda and tied up with his cell phone.

"_Sensei!_" Mikan screamed.

"That's right Mikan, we have your sensei. Don't worry, he's in perfectly fine condition for now, but that may all change depending on how the three of you behave," Kenji coldly said.

"Do you really take us as fools?" Natsume snapped back, "That picture could be morphed."

"You really are a smart ass, Kura Neko." Kenji mocked him, "But I can show you your precious sensei being held captive." He held out a small camera-like device in his right hand which projected an image of Noda sensei tied up on a wall at god knows what place. "That's live image you're seeing by the way thanks to this advance holographic technology the organization that I'm a part of has produced. I guarantee that."

With not many options to choose, Mikan was about to walk towards Kenji and accept defeat but was stopped by Natsume pulling onto her arm.

"Natsume," Mikan pleaded as she looked towards her fiancé with tears in her eyes.

"Ruka, take Mikan to safety," Natsume said as he began to charge towards Kenji.

"Very predictable of you Kuro Neko." Kenji thought as he dodged punch from Natsume and quickly placed his hand on Natsume's forehead.

"Come on Mikan we have to go, now!" Ruka commanded as he grabbed Mikan's arm and began to run off with her.

"But Ruka, what about Natsume? If he begins to fight then he may start using his alice. And I...I don't want to see Natsume on the brink of death again! I _can't _Ruka-pyon. I don't know what I'd do," Mikan said as she began to cry. They had barely made a few metres from the ice cream parlour.

"Listen Mikan, Natsume can take care of himself. He'd rather put himself in harms way than to see you get hurt. You mean the world to him! Can you imagine what would be going through his mind if we were to just hand you over to them without a fight? We would feel like stupid, helpless cowards if we were to hand over the woman..." Ruka paused. He almost said we, but caught it before the words left his lips. "...Natsume loves without even trying to defend you." He grabbed her hand and forced her to look at him. "Come on. Lets go to the factory. Natsume will meet us at factory, after he deals with that kid."

"Ruka..." was all Mikan was able to sputter out. They turned, then froze. They stared, bewildered to see Natsume in front of them.

"Natsume?" Mikan and Ruka both said in union.

"Oh hey guys, what's up?" Natsume said as he approached Mikan and Ruka.

"We thought that you were fighting that odd boy?" Ruka said.

"Oh yeah, the kid was a complete pushover. I beat him to a pulp within a few seconds and he told me the location of Noda. He's in a beat down parking lot located to the west of Tokyo. Ruka, why don't you head back to our hotel and check the four of us in for another night since it seems like it's getting pretty late. I'll take Mikan to Noda and we'll meet back with you," Natsume suggested.

"Uh, well okay. If you say so Natsume," Ruka replied trusting that his best friend knows what he's doing.

"_Eeep!_" Mikan squealed as Natsume slid one hand on her rear and another hand on her cheek.

"Are you ready to go sweetie pie?" Natsume said as he leaned in to kiss her but was met with a surprise punch to the face so hard that it caused him to lose his balance and fall to the ground. Ruka could be seen in the distance shocked and confused.

"Ow, what did you do that for Mikan?" Natsume asked with a bloody nose.

"My tiny brain may not be capable of earning me the student of the year award at Gakuen Alice, but my heart is beyond capable of telling me that you are not who you claim to be. You're not my Natsume! Natsume would never talk to me in the polite manner you have, " Mikan boldly stated while angrily staring at the Natsume imposter.

"Hmph, so that's it huh?" The imposter Natsume said in a woman's voice as his body began to transform. "To think, I thought you were a pretty fast girl having two hot guys by your side, but it turns out that you're just as slow as a nun who is too sensitive to even have a young man put his hand on your ass." The imposter Natsume said as he transformed into Scarlet. Mikan flinched. _Slow? _For a split second, she wondered if that's really what she was. Ruka brought her back to reality.

"What the? Who are you? " Ruka asked ashamed that he failed to tell the difference between his best friend and an imposter.

"Oh sweetie, don't you know it's impolite to ask a woman for her information without introducing yourself first?" Scarlet said with a flirty wink. Ruka and -especially- Mikan began to feel annoyed. "Hehe, my name is Scarlet and I'm a member of that same AAO that that other boy, Kenji, who you saw a few moments ago. To be honest, Kenji just played as a decoy to separate you two from the Kuro Neko. You two should be wishing that Kenji was assigned to deal with you two today." Scarlet said as she stripped off her jacket she was wearing to reach underneath her shirt to bring out a pair of guns that were hiding in her bra. "Because I'm a far greater threat than Kenji could ever be." Scarlet said while licking one of her rifles, causing Mikan and Ruka to swallow fearfully.

"I see so, you have the fourth alice shape Natsume." Kenji said.

"Hmph, mind reading alice, huh?" Natsume suggested with a smirk on his face, while dodging a kick from Kenji.

"It doesn't take mind reading to know your alice shape, you know. It's evident from your coughing." Kenji said as he blew another punch to the Kuro Neko. "My alice allows me to do memory scanning, projecting, altering, editing, erasing and almost anything with human memory," Kenji said while dodging another kick from Natsume.

_Memory manipulation alice? The only other person that has that alice is..._ Natsume thoughts trailed off. He was suddenly greeted with a kick to the stomach, bringing back his focus to the fight.

"Guh!" Natsume screamed as he fell to the floor aching in pain.

"Listen Hyuuga-san, I really would prefer not to fight. All I would like you to do is to surrender Ms. Sakura to us. Don't you understand Natsume? Alices only bring pain to this world. Humans fear us and will never treat us equally if we have to bear these curses. You of all people should understand this. You've experienced fear and rejection first hand due to all those kids fearing you during your childhood, remember?" Kenji explained as he extended his hand in an attempt to forge a peaceful handshake with with Natsume. "Please join us Natsume and allow us to use Mikan to create a peaceful world. Ms. Sakura is the key and she will be known as a hero for creating a more peaceful world." Kenji said in the hopes of gaining a compromise from Natsume but instead was met with a swipe to his hand.

"Mikan has lost her alice and will be of no use to your 'boss'," Natsume said as he began to stand up. Kenji was clearly intimidated by this. How could Natsume still stand up? "Besides, you're too naive for your own good, kid. Even if Mikan had her alice, your boss wouldn't use her alices to make a 'peaceful' world. He only wants the power for himself."

Natsume activated his fire alice and threw multiple fire bursts at Kenji to give him an idea of who he's dealing with. Kenji dodged all of Natsume's attacks and reached into his backpack.

"_You will _never _have Mikan!_" Natsume screamed.

"I wanted to avoid violence but it seems that I'll have to take Mikan by force," Kenji said as he pulled out what appeared to be the grip of a sword...without the blade. "Now begins Kenji vs. Natsume, round 2," Kenji announced, standing in samurai stance.

Mikan and Ruka were frozen in fear, there wasn't much that they could do. Natsume was busy fighting Kenji, and Mikan and Ruka were staring death in the face, one in each of Scarlet's hands.

"What are we going to do Ruka?" Mikan whispered to her blond friend.

"Don't worry Mikan, I have a plan," Ruka whispered back to Mikan.

"Checkmate," Scarlet said as she began to approach Mikan and Ruka. Scarlet kept the gun in her right hand pointed at Ruka and the other she stuck it in her belt. She glared at Mikan with a 'Don't try anything, you're still my hostage' look.

"So cutie, are you ready to relinquish your little girlfriend yet?" Scarlet said while rubbing Ruka's chest and licking his neck. Mikan looked astonished and Ruka didn't know whether or not if he should feel scared for his life as he has a gun pointed to his head or excited that he has a girl who seems to have the hots for him.

'_Stay focused, Ruka, for Mikan's sake. Come on pheromone alice work...work!" _Ruka thought to himself as he tried as hard as he could to concentrate on making birds in the sky attack Scarlet with his alice. Unfortunately, this was pretty difficult to concentrate with the 'distraction'.

_Concentrate, concentrate, concentrate!_ Ruka chanted mentally. He managed to reach out to a couple of squirrels and asked them to attack Scarlet.

"_Ew_! What are these vermin doing on me?!" Scarlet shouted as she desperately tried to knock the squirrels off her. Ruka then took this as an opportunity to escape from Scarlet's hold over him and Mikan by tackling her to the ground and knocking her gun out of her hand.

"Ruka, you're brilliant!" Mikan said as she leaped for joy.

"Mikan quick take both of Scarlet's guns and run. Run as fast as you can. Don't look back!"

"Oh, gotcha." Mikan said as she understood Ruka's plan perfectly. Mikan grabbed the rifle that was on the ground. Instead of running away she pointed the gun at Scarlet, "Let him go! "

Scarlet almost laughed at Mikan's nervous stance of holding the gun. Clearly she was novice at such things.

"Stay away from _my _boys." Mikan sternly said while sticking her tongue causing, Ruka to blush slightly.

"Sakura, I told you to run!" He reminded her. "_Go_!"

"I can't leave you alone." Mikan replied.

"As much as he loved to hear those words." Ruka said, "Listen, it's for your own safety. I'll never be able to forgive myself if something happens to you, so please go! For Natsume's sake! _Run!_" He lunged for Scarlet and pushed her onto the ground, him on top of her, pressing her against ground firmly. Immobilising her temporarily. "GO!"

Against her wishes a teary eyed Mikan ran as fast as she could away from the battlefield. Ruka breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well hotshot, I guess being captured by you isn't all bad as at least I'll be able to have some fun." Scarlet said as she pushed up her legs to reach Ruka's waist and crossed her legs constraining his movements along with hers. The attacker became the victim once again. But he was glad Mikan was safe.

"You made me lose my target. But if I want to get hold of that bitch I'll have to take care of you first, else you'll want to play knight in shining armour again, won't you? She said as she trailed his face in a lustful manner with her fingers.

'_Dear lord, someone please help me." _Ruka said as a sweat drop appeared on the back of his head.

'_I shouldn't have left them there alone. I hope he's okay.'_ Mikan thought to herself as she stopped to rest for a while, she had been running for 20 minutes at her fastest possible speed, she might have most likely broken her record. Horrible flashbacks images of the ESP's henchmen who used guns to scare and hurt her classmates during the war at Gakuen Alice four years ago clouded her mind. The memory of Natsume's dead body stuck her. Panicked seized her. She didn't want to see that lifeless face of Natsume again. Tears flowed out unstoppably.

'_Please don't do anything stupid Natsume!'_

Maybe if she was with him four years ago, supporting him; he would have had a different fate.

She couldn't just let him fend for himself again, she gathered herself. She had to go and help him, inspite of his refusal. She made up her mind, tightened her grip onto the weapon and started running again.

"What the hell?" Natsume said as he realized that none of his attacks were hitting Kenji, in fact if Natsume didn't know better, he'd say they were reflecting off of Kenji. He was better than Natsume anticipated.

"Stop this senseless fight Natsume! Don't you realize yet that it's pointless to fight against me? You're just going to end up hurting yourself again and repeat what happened during your fight against the ESP." Kenji stated

"_Shut up_!" Natsume shouted as he sent more fire bursts towards his opponent which quickly drained him of his stamina.

"Don't you see yet? For every burst of flames you send at me you take off at least 3 days of your life. You don't have to become a scapegoat to protect Mikan, Natsume. I'm not here to kill you, I want to help you. Haven't you ever wondered how great and peaceful your life would be without your alice?" Kenji asked Natsume who appeared to be out of breath.

"I..." Natsume couldn't manage any other words and was overcome with shattering coughs. He fell to the ground and began to cough up blood. "_Oh no, not again_." Natsume thought to himself.

"Natsume, you wasted all of your energy today by stubbornly throwing fireballs that had no effect on me. No doubt you probably knocked off at the very least 2 months of your life. 2 months that you could have spent peacefully with . Please Natsume, no more. No more fighting, can't you see that I'm trying to help you live a regular happy life with Mikan, isn't that what you two have wanted all along?" Kenji asked while placing his hand on Natsume's shoulder.

"Stay away from me. You don't know me!" Natsume seethed. He stood up with all his strength and punched Kenji hard on the jaw knocking him down. Kenji's jaw almost dislocated from the attack. Blood trailed down from the corner of his mouth and his chin started to swell up.

"You actually think your so called boss desires 'peace'?" Natsume kicked the kid in stomach, "So damn naive," He kicked again. Kenji blocked the kick and managed to stand up. He felt weak, blood began to run from his nose, and dizziness was taking over.

'_Oh! Shit! Not now...Everything was going perfectly...why did it have to happen now! Damn !_' Kenji mentally cursed his condition.

Natsume didn't know what was happening to his young enemy but he took control of the situation and showered punches on him one after another. He knew it wasn't wise to use his alice now, he might himself loose unconsciousness. Kenji couldn't take it anymore, he dropped onto his knees. Natsume was going to land a blow on his head, but controlled himself.

"Stay away from Mikan." he said with a death glare at the kid. Scarlet had underestimated the Kuro Neko. He is really something. He collapsed on the ground, he could hear the sounds of light footsteps which were growing louder.

"Natsume!" He heard a feminine voice call.

"Mikan? What the hell are you doing here? I told you to run away, you idiot!" he scolded her. She flung herself onto him,carelessly throwing the gun on the ground. She secured him tightly in her embrace, as if she was the one protecting him from Kenji. "Natsume...Natsume...Oh Natsume..." She cried out his name as tears slid down her face, she tightened her grip on him further. Natsume could sense the concern in her voice. He knew why she was here. To make sure he was alive.

"I told you I wouldn't die on you right? Trust me for once." He soothed her by gently patting her back.

Kenji was trying his best to reach out for the gun lying a few feet away from him. He stretched his hand as much as he could. _'Just a little more'_' He motivated himself. _'Mikan Sakura...so beautiful yet...so utterly stupid to throw away a loaded gun on the ground when the attackers knocked out. Can such a combination exist?'_

"Don't even think about it." Natsume said as he picked up the gun. He grabbed Kenji's hair and raised his head to make an eye contact with the kid, "Who do you work for? Huh? What's your boss called?" Kenji refused to reply to any of the questions. Natsume punched him "Answer me." Natsume demanded in a voice that made Mikan shiver.

"Zagi. He's the new leader of AAO."

'_Sakurano's warning is right. They really are back in action. Gotta be extra careful now.'_ Natsume mentally admitted to himself.

"Z for Zero and Z for Zagi." Natsume smirked as he heard the name of the person, "Listen carefully kid. Tell Zagi that his evil goal will never come true, because he'll never have Mikan."

"You still don't understand Hyuuga. It's not evil. It's for a good cause. He'll save the world with this plan. Free it from the Academy's domination. We'll all be free...you don't understand!" Kenji told him.

"That's the bullshit he's using to cover up for his sins, eh?" Natsume smirked again. He punched Kenji again and hurled him further away on ground in anger.

"Natsume, leave him be. Let's help Ruka. Come on." Mikan stopped him from kicking Kenji again feeling slight sympathy for the boy. She grabbed his hand and dragged him towards Ruka.

With his remaining strength Kenji lifted his arm and slowly pinched his shirt's collar and whispered, "Codename:Alpha 1-5-9." Kenji's body then began to glow and become transparent.

"We'll meet again. Mikan Sakura. We'll meet again." Kenji said as his body completely disappeared.

"Who gave you this gun?" Natsume asked her, waving the gun in front of her face.

"Ruka pyon. For my safety, you know."

"That idiot should know that a clumsy girl like you can never handle a gun." Natsume sighed.

"Hey! Ruka pyon was just trying to protect me." Mikan protested, "I think I did a pretty good job at handling it. Ji-chan would freak out if he saw me with it."

"We should hurry to Ruka." Natsume quickened his pace, worried about his best friend. There was something off about that Scarlet woman, he didn't like it.

Meanwhile Scarlet was tackled by Ruka to the ground with her legs crossed on his back while still trying to put the moves on Ruka. "You know Ruka I can make you become a real man today." Scarlet said skimpily.

"_Find a happy place, find a happy place, find a happy place." _Ruka repeated to himself as his body began to become numb as Scarlet puckered her lips and began to lean towards Ruka. With every millimeter that she came closer to Ruka, his heart began to pump harder and harder. _"Please, don't let this villain steal my first kiss. I was hoping to have it with..._her_."_ Ruka thought.

"**Abort mission. Base to Scarlet. Abort mission." **_ "Damn! "_ She cursed. **" Teleporting you in 3...2..1."**

Scarlet's body began to glow, become transparent, and then disappeared."Urgh, that was weird, but I'm not complaining. My lips are saved." Ruka said with a sigh of relief.

"Ruka-pyon!" Mikan screamed as she and Natsume came running to his aid.

"Mikan, Natsume, thank goodness you two are alright." Ruka said in relief that his two best friends were safe from harm. "So what happened to you guys?" Ruka asked.

"Well I had quite an interesting fight with that Kenji kid. That bastard's a complete airhead. Too trusting for his own good, " Natsume stated.

"Maybe someone messed with his brain or something." Mikan naively said.

"Says the girl with no brain in your head to begin with." Natsume said Mikan yelled at him, as expected. But it was his this foxy attitude that attracted her to him. She fell in love with that Natsume.

It was almost nightfall when the trio had finished eating and dressing up the scratches and bruises. Natsume knew that he had to carefully plan their next moves. The AAO would strike back and he needed to keep Mikan safe.

"We need to go save Noda sensei first!" Mikan sounded worried.

"But Mikan, we have no idea where he is or how to get there. We're better off heading to the old watch factory in the 5th Prefecture as planned." Ruka said. "Besides, he predicted that us three would be meeting him around 9:35pm right?"

"Can we trust him?" Natsume knew that statement was paranoid, but right now it was important to know who their friends and enemies were. And Paradox was kinda in midway. He was mysterious. "How do we know that he's not from AAO? He might be working for them too. If he knows so much, why didn't he warn us about our encounter with Kenji and Scarlet today? Maybe he's with them and that's why he didn't warn us. And really, if he would have told us then we could have stopped Noda from being kidnapped in the first place. Then I would not have had to use my alice and cut off 2 mon-" Natsume growled as he caught himself. He froze and shut his mouth tightening his lips together in a line.

"What was that Natsume?" Mikan said with a worried look on her face. He didn't reply, not wanting Mikan to know about his shortened his life.

"Noda-sensei trusted him for a reason." Ruka protested, "We should trust him too."

"Natsume?" Mikan asked for his decision.

"Paradox it is." He just hoped he was wrong about Paradox working for AAO, or else he'd be leading his friends right into the rat's trap.

"Okay it's 7:30pm. So If we leave now we should arrive there in about 20 minutes. I'm sure you'll be happy to be able to prove Parodox wrong at something Natsume." Ruka said hoping to cheer his friend up. Natsume sighed in defeat.

"I would like to prove that smart ass wrong, but sadly you've forgotten that with Noda captured we no longer have access to his car which means we'll have to walk their which may take us about 2 hours. So we probably will end up meeting him around 9:30pm as he predicted." Natsume decided with determination. "Come on let's see this Paradork guy anyway. If he's right about our arrival time then he must know something about our future that may help us take down Kenji's AAO." Natsume said with a steady head.

"We really have to walk till 5th Avenue...Ugrh! My feet are already killing me," Mikan grumbled.

Natsume kneeled down and invited Mikan.

"Hop on."

She gladly climbed onto him, arms around his neck and legs wrapped around his waist. Planting a kiss on his cheek, she exclaimed. "Yay! Piggy back ride! Haven't had one in years. Ji-chan used to give me those when I was a kid, but he has back problems now."

"Keep quiet for a while now, okay?" Natsume said irritated, he was worried about his alice.

'_That Paradox guy might be some use to me.'_ He had a question in his mind for the smartypants.

**A/N: We hope you have enjoyed this chapter, it was quite a big one! This chapter was written by Sonic-Keyblade007 and edited by edwardelric108 and Neverlookback756. If you liked this chapter or have any comments and suggestions, leave us a review! ****Also please let us know what you think of our OCs in the comments section, thank you. ^_^**


	6. Chapter 6: Inside Time

**A/N: Here's chapter 6**

**Chapter 6****: Inside time.**

"Ah! 09:35:46 PM!" Paradox greeted his teenage friends. "Right on time guys." Natsume cursed between his teeth. He really wanted to prove Paradox wrong even if just by a second, but like he had always been, Paradox was right. And that was really frustrating.

"You knew and you didn't warn us?" Natsume grabbed his collar, almost about to hit his face. "Natsume!" Mikan tried to calm him down. She placed a hand on his shoulder and tried to get him to look at her.

"We could have been killed! Mikan could've been killed." He shook Paradox trying to knock some sense into the whacko.

"Ah! But you aren't, right?" Paradox was nonchalant. He raised his eyebrow in an amused matter-of-fact manner.

"Why you!" Natsume raised his right fist to punch him, but Paradox vanished from his grip. He was shocked. Where'd he go? Was he going to ditch them again?

"Behind you," Paradox called out to the three. He was seated at the back of the factory calmly as if he were meditating.

"How'd you do that?" Ruka was amazed. "You were right here in front of Natsume, and in a split second you teleported yourself behind us."

"I don't have the teleportation alice, my boy." Paradox replied. "I merely used a time warp hole to reach here."

"Time warp hole?" Mikan was confused.

"Advanced quantum physics, my dear," Paradox said patting her hair. "Let's not dwindle into the laws of quantum physics now. Some of them haven't even been postulated yet."

"How do we get to Noda-sensei?" Ruka asked with concern. "You must know where he is, right?"

"Yes, I do, but I can't tell you that."

"Why not?" Mikan asked. "Please, he's your old friend. You have to help him." Mikan pleaded.

"Don't worry about Noda. A team of DA members is being recruited to rescue him as we speak. And I know that they'll rescue him without much effort. After all it's the 'A Team' we are talking about. Now my main concern here is to send you kids into a safe house."

"You still haven't answered my question," Natsume had a dark look on his face. The Kuro Neko I-could-kill-you look.

"You really are persistent aren't you, Kuro Neko?" Paradox's voice had a hint of sarcasm. "Very well, I didn't warn you because I don't want to end up trapped like your friend. I can't intervene in every trivial matter, else the flow of time would be too distorted. I just can't do as I please. Yes, I said that I break rules and stuff, but there are some things which even I can't change else I'll end up like Imai siblings."

"Oh! So you really aren't God then," Mikan concluded.

"That's right, darling," Paradox said. "Now lets get you to the safe house."

"What about Hotaru?" She protested.

"You'll meet her there, in the safe house."

"Huh?" Mikan was confused.

"The dimension of time is the safest place for you right now. Because that's one place the AAO can't attack you. So you have to go inside time. Get it?"

Mikan nodded.

"We're going with her. She can't go there alone. Besides it's not exactly the 'safest place'." Natsume said as he stood beside his fiancé. He intertwined his hands with hers to assure her that she wasn't alone.

"Of course. Of course," Paradox agreed.

"Now there's something I want you two to understand." Paradox addressed the two boys, "First, the time commonly misunderstood as a continuous flow like a river. But I've discovered with experience that it isn't. Like there are turns, waterfalls, and pebbles in a river, it's the same with time. It has ripples where it's discontinuous. The ripples are created by time distortion caused by time alice users like Noda and me, or some 'foreign visitors' like your good friends. They are concentrated around the object causing them." Natsume felt as if he was attending a quantum physics lecture, but it was more interesting than those at his school.

"Secondly, time warp holes, or wormholes, are created due to excessive ripples. They link two different 'time eras'. They are like short cuts from past to future or to present. Now you two have to figure out which wormhole to jump in and which ripple to follow to get to Imai's."

" if you're so smart, why don't you guide us to Hotaru?" Mikan asked politely.

"I am afraid that wouldn't be much fun now would it my dear?" Paradox smiled away causally.

"So how do we know which ones would lead to Imai?" Natsume asked.

"I believe our young animal lover will figure it out," Paradox winked at Ruka. "Put those weird mushrooms to some use," He hinted. Ruka was confused, like always, by his words.

"Okay now, stand back people."

Paradox removed his pocket watch and a blue light shimmered out of it. The light grew bigger and turned into a beam which projected as a round window. The window was big enough for the three to cross over. They knew very well what it was. It was a time window. They had been through one before.

"Okay, when I signal you guys jump in," Paradox instructed.

"Hyuuga! Remember to use _it_ carefully and appearances can be deceiving my dear friend. Always listen to your heart. Don't give into temptations." Paradox turned to Ruka and said, "Always remember who your friends are. Trust your inner voice, my boy. Never give in to your jealous side." And finally, he looked straight at Mikan. There was a hint of sadness in his eyes, and Natsume didn't like it. "And you, young lady, don't give in. No matter how difficult things get, just push through." He left the three friends utterly baffled once again, and before they could ask what his warnings were for, he signaled to them.

"_Now!_ Jump!"

The three friends held each other's hands and jumped into the time window. "Good luck young friends."

They felt as if they were inside a tornado or whirlwind. A vortex of time surrounded them sucking them in. Pressure trying to separate them from all sides but they tightly held onto to each other's grip. If they were separated now, then it would be bad. They had to stick to each other.

The 'storm' calmed down and they landed. It was the same feeling as they got before. Emptiness everywhere. There was no solid ground yet they were standing as if there was a firm surface supporting them. There was no sun, yet there was light clear enough to locate their way through. There was no air, yet they could easily breathe. Being "inside time" really was a different feeling.

A ripple of wave spread through their feet. As Paradox said, they were foreigners, they had caused distortion in the continuity giving birth to the ripples.

Mikan breathed a sigh of relief. She was one step closer to finding Hotaru. The real mission, 'Finding Hotaru' begins now.

"Sir, they are in." A servant reported to the HSP. Paradox had contacted him telling him that he had safely sent the three friends into time where the AAO couldn't harm them.

"That's good to know. Now prepare the assault on the AAO HQ," he declared. "Let's rescue

Noda." He wanted the AAO mess cleaned up and done with before Mikan could return. If not, they couldn't predict what might happen. But when you're dealing with the AAO, it's best not to take things lightly.

"_What?_" Scarlet yelled at her messenger. "You're telling me they escaped into time dimension?"

"Ye-yes ma'am." He shuddered in fear.

"How will we get hold of her now? It's impossible for us to go there now!" She smacked him again. "You bastard! You should have stopped them! Useless!" And she landed another kick on him.

"Relax now, Scarlet." A voice said from behind her. "We'll wait until they come back. Let's capture her right under her uncle's nose from the Academy itself and show them how powerful we are." Zagi calmed her down.

"But sir, we had this golden opportunity to-"

"I am trusting you. I know you won't let me down Scarlet. I know you'll capture her from Academy," He said.

"Yes, osouji-sama. As you wish. Your order is my command. I'll capture her at the Academy when she returns."

"Meanwhile, I want you to monitor the little time traveler you've captured."

**A/N: And done. Scar now goes to monitor Noda where he's held captive. And Mikan and the gang travel to find Hotaru. While the DA tries to save Noda. Will they all succeed? **

**This chapter was written by edwardelric108 and edited by Neverlookback756 and Sonic-Keyblade 007**

**Also for all you silent readers out there, please leave a review or small comment we'd greatly appreciate it. Last Thursday when we posted chapter 5 we received 211 views but not a single reader left a simple comment about the chapter or how they feel about our OC's and how they fit in the Gakuen Alice universe. Sorry, we don't mean to whine but we'd greatly appreciate it if some of you silent readers would give back a little criticism on what you like about the story so far and how we can improve it, (by the way, you don't need an account to leave a review.) thank you. ^_^ **


	7. Chapter 7: The Rescue

**A/N: Okay guys here's chapter 7. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 7: The Rescue**

Misaki sat on _their_ couch, twirling the diamond ring which rested on her ring finger of her left hand. She sighed, "Tsubasa you big moron!" She wanted to punch him in the face, but he wasn't there in _their_ apartment. She vented her anger by punching the innocent cushions resting on the couch.

_The childhood sweethearts were enjoying their new status as 'engaged' by cuddling and snuggling on their couch when, his phone rang. Tsubasa frowned, he hated when someone 'disturbed' their make out session. He checked out the caller and was a little surprised to see it was his old elementary school teacher._

"_Hello, sensei! It's good to hear from you." Tsubasa trying to be polite, "How's Mikan's search for her best friend going?...WHAT?..." After hearing what his sensei on the other side of line said, Tsubasa got up from the couch, kissed his fiance on the forehead and grabbed his shirt. Misaki was puzzled at his sudden change of expression. She clasped up her bra again and pulled her T-shirt back on. Their make out session was obviously over. Tsubasa covered his bare torso with his shirt while searching for a safe and obscure place to continue the conversation._

"_Is she safe?" he asked as he started buttoning up his shirt. "What about the other two? The boys?" Misaki tried to eavesdrop on the conversation, but he wouldn't let her._

"_Yeah...huh!...Ugh, as expected from Hyuuga...hmmmm...got it...I'll be there right away..." He cut the line. Turned back to face his fiancé. He held her hand in his and faced her. Misaki knew it was something serious. And it was something regarding their favorite kohai._

"_Please tell me Mikan is safe," she asked with concern._

"_Don't worry, she's fine. She's with Natsume remember?" He inhaled deeply and broke the bad news. "It's Noda. The AAO has him." He let his breath out._

"What?! How!?" _Misaki was shocked._

"_They were trying to get Mikan but couldn't, so they used Noda as a bait." He caressed her hand and continued, "Serina sensei confirmed that Mikan, Natsume and Ruka are safe with a guy called Paradox. They said he can be trusted. And those three will be soon into time dimension so their safety is secured, because the AAO definitely can't go in that dimension." He knew Misaki wouldn't like what he was going to say next. "Sakurano and the team at Academy have narrowed down his location. They want me to join the assault team."_

"_Why you? They have plenty of staff and DA members to do that." She frowned, "I won't allow you to go on dangerous mission. "_

"_Misaki." She sighed. She knew that he wanted to go help his friends. "I'm sorry. We'll have to delay our wedding. I know you wanted to hold it right after Mikan got back with Hotaru...but the situation's changed..."_

_He was still so stupid. It's not the wedding she's worried about. It's him. His safety. She didn't want anything to happen to her fiancé._

"_Tsubasa you moron." She punched him friendly, "Just come back safe. The wedding can wait. It's no big deal...Just come back safe..." A tear escaped her eyes. She was a strong woman. A woman of substance. Someone who cried only when it was too difficult for her strong heart to bear. "Just come back safely..." She kept muttering as he kissed her tears away. He whispered, "I love you, beautiful," into her ear and in a few minutes, he was gone. _

It has been two days since that incidence and she was still all alone in _their_ apartment. "Please just come back safely," she murmured to herself again.

'_Please come back safely'_ He thought he heard her voice brought by the breeze that kissed his ears. He focused his eyes on the enemy standing a few feet away from him. He signaled Shiki using his hands that he would freeze the guards. Shiki nodded. Shiki created a barrier around Tsubasa. He dashed out of his hiding place and ran for the guards. They fired at him, but thanks to Shiki's barrier he was saved. He dodged a few attacks and landed right on one of the guards shadow. He immobilized him long enough for Tono to knock him out with a blow. He lunged for the remaining three guards, capturing them one by one using his alice. Tono knocked them unconscious.

"All clear now," Tono called out to his colleagues who were hiding all the while. Hayate, Rui, Hajime and the 10 year old Youichi stepped out from the shadows.

"Ohh! Tsubasa-_kun_, you're so cool! You've become more masculine than you were in high school!" Rui dashed towards him squeezing his biceps and admiring them, "I am so glad that you came! My beloved Tsubasa..." Rui tried to kiss him on the lips, but Tsubasa pushed his face away with all his energy.

"Get away from me, you freak. I have a fiance."

Tono and Shiki had a good laugh at Tsubasa's poor condition.

"Don't worry Tsubasa I am sure Misaki will approve of him." Tono winked at his former kohai. "Shut up," Tsubasa murmured. "What's next?"

Shiki asked Youichi to send one of his spirit friends to get a look at the inside situation. Youichi summoned his most trusted spirit and ordered it to scan the interior of the building. The spirit returned with the findings and whispered it in Youichi's ears.

"Four guards at topmost level, one of them's a snipper. Three on second floor. And about ten to fifteen on the ground floor, give or take. All 's a woman there. Red haired, possibly their boss."

"What about Noda?" Hayate asked.

"He's tied up in basement. With two armed men," he replied.

"Okay, here's the plan", Shiki said the groups gathers around him. "Hayate take down the sniper. After he's down, Youichi and Hajime take control of the topmost floor. Tono and Tsubasa I want you to work on the ground floor. Rui, you and I will take care of the ground floor and make our way to basement. Got it?" Everyone nodded and agreed on the boss's plan.

Hayate changed created a whirlpool strong enough to levitate him to the roof. He broke the glass roof using slashes of wind and landed right onto the snipper's back taking him down with one blow. He was one tough college. He created another whirlpool for Haijime and Youichi to come there. Youichi scared off the two men approaching him using some ghosts and Haijime finished them using bee stings. The top floor was secured.

Meanwhile Tsubasa and tono had managed to jump onto the second floor and enter via a broken window.

"How's your sex life, eh Tsubasa?" Tono started his teasing, "I bet Misaki's awesome in bed." He winked. Tsubasa was irritated with teasing, now he landed Tono with a blow on his head, "Hey! Don't hit me! It's not my fault you haven't had sex in three days." Tono was persistent.

"Shut up already." Tsubasa was very angry.

"Look out!" Tono warned him. Tsubasa dunked the punch coming from the AAO man. And the fighting started.

"**All units be alert. Intruder alert. Intruder alert."** The siren went off. And the DA gang knew they had to be extra careful and extra fast now, because reinforcements were on their way. "Hurry up!" Shiki yelled at his team. Youichi aided Tono and Tsubasa with his spirits. Hayate and Hajime went to ground floor to help other.

The situation on ground floor was heated, as the AAO and DA engaged in fierce battle. Bees, wasps, wind slashes, barriers and curse filled miasma met with bullets and explosives. The DA were winning because of their edge over the others thanks to their alice.

"Hey, you look like one _cute_ guy," Scarlet said as she battled with Rui. She seductively unbuttoned her first button as she approached him.

"No thanks! I am not interested in women. I have my Tsubasa." Rui created a miasma of curse around her and escaped. "That's one creepy woman," he muttered.

Gasping for air, Scarlet made her way to the stairs leading to second floor. She caught Tono's eyes.

"No way. That's..." He couldn't believe his eyes. "Tomoka!" He called out to her, but the commotion was too loud for his voice to get through. He ran towards her but by the time he reached there, she had disappeared again in the miasma.

"What's wrong?" Tsubasa asked him.

"Nothing. I thought I just saw someone I know."

"_Tono, Tsubasa, do you hear me?" _

"Shiki-san?"

"_Yes, I am using Telepathy. Listen I want you two to go to basement and rescue Noda sensei. Got it? "_

"Sir," They said in unison. "What's the condition down at your side?"

"_Don't worry about us. We are doing fine. We have to get out of here as soon as we can."_

"Noda sensei!" Tsubasa shook up the man tied up and badly beaten. He was evidently tired. He opened his eyes weakly, "Boys? What are you doing here?"

"We've come to rescue you of course," Tono replied as he carried Noda on his back. Noda would've slowed them down by the weakness in him limbs.

"What about those two men?" Noda asked about his guards.

"Taken care of," Tsubasa showed him the two guards tied up at one corner of the basement. "Let's go."

"Shiki-san, Noda sensei's safe with us. Mission accomplished. Let's leave." Tono sent a message to Shiki via telepathy. Shiki teleported the DA gang back to the outskirts of Academy. He almost fell unconscious teleporting 8 people at the same time was indeed tiring. There were some minor broken bones, scratches, sprains but Noda was safe, that's all that mattered.

"Okay, so how do we find Hotaru now?" Mikan said. "This is an awfully big place. She could be anywhere."

'_Put those mushrooms to some use.'_ Paradox's advice echoed in ruka's mind. Suddenly an idea struck him.

"I have Imai's mushroom earplugs, I'll try to find their signal transmission that way we can find out the hole's in the time continuum. We can use them as worm holes and start getting closer to where Imai is. The interference gets louder and more irregular as we'll get closer to her." Ruka explained. Mikan didn't understand, but as long as the people with her understood, they'd be okay.

"So we use trial and error to locate her right?" Natsume asked.

"Yes." Ruka nodded. Mikan decided it was best not to even _try_ to understand what physics her friend were trying to apply, because it would only result in a headache.

"Okay then send a transmission," Natsume asked.

Ruka pressed the outgoing switch and whispered, "Imai" into the mouthpiece of the mushrooms. A faint wave of reverberation came from nearby. They saw that a gap encircled by a ripple of waves. "That's it!" Ruka said, "that's the ripple and the hole Paradox told us about. Jump in." Ruka said as he ran towards that hole and jumped into the hole. Natsume and Mikan followed.

They went on the procedure of finding such holes and gaps surrounded by ripples and jumped in. Like Ruka had predicted the holes were getter bigger as they proceeded. The time dimension was also getting unstable as they entered further deep into the mysterious place. Shockwaves and electric pulses were getting more frequent as they travelled deeper into time. Natsume clutched tight onto Mikan's hand. The 'weather' was getting worse.

"Imai," Ruka repeated into the microphone but this time there wasn't one time ripple created but instead a series of four large worm holes opened up, very powerful ones. They were trying to suck everything into them. It was like a vacuum sucking off the dust on the floor. Mikan held her skirt down on her thighs with her hands. The current was strong. The trio tried to hold onto the 'ground' as firm as they could. They were holding hands firmly. Mikan couldn't hold onto the 'ground' anymore, she slipped.

"_Mikan_!" Natsume yelled as he grabbed her wrist tightly. The wormholes were having a tug of war as to which one would suck her in. She tightened her grip on his hand. "Ruka. Do something," Natsume called. That wormhole lead god-knows-where.

"Imai." He retransmitted the signal from the mushroom. The wormhole which was succeeding in sucking Mikan in, echoed the voice. "**Nogi. Is that you?"** Came a faint voice from inside that wormhole. Ruka knew that it was the one that would lead to Hotaru. "Let go Natsume."

"What? Are you insane?" Natsume said furiously.

"Let go! Trust me. We have to jump precisely into that wormhole."

"Are you sure?"

"Trust me." Ruka was serious. Natsume closed his eyes. Prayed. And released Mikan's hand. She was sucked right into that wormhole which echoed Hotaru's voice mingled with Mikan's screams. Natsume and Ruka also jumped in after her.

"Safest place my ass" Natsume cursed Paradox's advice about the time being safest place for them. No wonder they called him Paradox.

"Ow.." Mikan rubbed her butt, "the ground here is hard."

"This electromagnetic spectrum is relatively stable. " Natsume was relieved, "Are you okay, Ichigo chara?" Natsume said, pointing out to her strawberry panties which were exposed off as her skirt was folded upwards.

"Do you always gotta be such a pervert?" Mikan complained as her face turned red. Ruka looked away in embarrassment.

"Thanks for the getting us through safe," Mikan said after tidying her skirt.

"Uh...anytime." He was still red.

"Imai should be close by." Natsume suggested.

"Yes, she replied to my previous transmission." Ruka said as he twirled around the mushroom. He switched on and sent another transmission.

"Imai, this is Ruka. Can you hear me?"

"**Of course." ** Her voice was loud and clear enough to be heard by Mikan as well.

"Hotaru...I have come to rescue you..."

"**You brought along the idiot for time travel."**

"Aren't you glad to know we are here to rescue you?"

"**No."**

"Eh? How could you not?"

"**I was having a peaceful life here, away from your loud winning. "**

"Stop with jokes Imai," Natsume interrupted, "Tell us where you are?"

"**Follow the ripples, I'm creating. These are electromagnetic resistance ripples, they'll lead you to me." ** And she cut the transmission.

"Yay! We'll soon meet Hotaru!" Mikan was overjoyed. Finally she was to be reunited with her best friend. She was to fulfill her promise she made that day. Just a few more minutes- er, time ripples.

**This chapter was written by edwardelric108 and edited by Neverlookback756 and Sonic-Keyblade 007. If you liked the chapter, leave us a review with your comments and suggestions! Thanks for your support!**


	8. Chapter 8 (Part 1): Reunion

**Chapter 8 (Part 1): Reunion**

Mikan, Natsume, and Ruka found themselves wondering a strange time void. Everything around them had a blueish-grey aura. It looked like a regular hallway of Gakuen Alice, however unlike the academy, everything around them felt twisted and unstable.

"I'm a little scared," Mikan said as she clutched onto Natsume's arm. Natsume rubbed Mikan's back in an attempt to comfort his fiancé.

"Don't worry, we're almost there. _Right Imai_?" Natsume exclaimed with an unexpected peak in his voice. Normally in a situation like this Natsume would have teased Mikan for feeling so scared, but Natsume couldn't help but mentally admit that this place even made him feel uneasy. Ruka was shocked to see a side of Natsume that he never saw before, and it didn't make him feel any safer. They heard Hotaru sigh from the mushrooms.

"**Will you scaredy cats quit whining?**" Hotaru mocked as our three heroes continued walking through the time void. Mikan, Natsume, and Ruka continued to follow the ripples through time that Hotaru laid out for them to pursue. Each ripple that they passed made a horrific noise and tried to push them back as the time void knew that our heroes were not supposed to be here and were not welcomed.

"Hey Imai, how are you creating these ripples in the time void?" Ruka question his dark haired friend.

"**It's not my doing, it's the electronic waves between our mushroom headphones that's causing a disturbance in this time void. Not only that but our very presence in this dimension have been having some crazy effects in this place. Keep in mind that no one is supposed to exist here so the void itself must be going through a state of shock thanks to its unwelcomed guests. That explains the ripples in time that are running amok as the element of electricity has been introduced to this zone of silence.**" Hotaru explained.

_*creeeeeeeeeeeeeak*_

"Ahhh, this place is so creepy! But I have to stay strong for Hotaru!" Mikan said out loud.

"Yeah and I need to hold it together for Mikan." Natsume told himself.

_*creeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeak*_

"Goodness gracious, for every step we take, the creaks become louder. It's as if this entire dimension is on the point of collapsing!" Ruka feared.

"**Well I suppose that is a possibility, there are 5 people existing in a zone that was never meant to have any visitors so it's only natural that it has become unstable like this. Hmph, you boys should have left the brainless one at home that way this place would not have been as unstable.**" Hotaru implied.

"HOTARU, TAKE BA-" _*CREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAK* _The time zone made another horrendous noise in response to Mikan's unfinished outburst.

"Mikan your causing even more disturbances with your big mouth!" Natsume stated in annoyance.

"Eeeeeeeek, I'm sorry Mr. Time-Void thing please don't make that noise again!" Mikan squealed

"Are we almost there yet Hotaru?" Ruka asked his friend as the horror of the time void began to get the best of him as well.

"**Yes, yes I can hear the three of you without the aid of the mushroom headphones. You must be really close by, just follow these last bit of ripples that should be in front of you.**" Hotaru stated as our three heroes quickly found themselves facing a handful of new ripples to deal with. Each ripple that they passed through seem to test the very limit of their body's. Mikan's heart rate began to increase, Natsume found every step that he took harder to breath than the last step, and Ruka felt as though he was about to pass out after making it past the time ripples with his friends following another horrendous noise produced by the time void.

_*CREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAK*_

Our heroes simply were not welcomed in this dimension but despite this, Mikan, Natsume, and Ruka continued pushing forward for the sake of their friend and against all odds, they finally found them, a 12 year old Hotaru and an 18 year old Subaru.

"Who are those three?" Subaru wondered out loud while placing his arm in front of his little sister as a means of protection.

"There they are!" The inventor sighed in relief.

"_Hotaru!_" Mikan squealed as she ran towards her young friend.

"Yeah that's definitely Mikan." Hotaru confirmed as she smacked Mikan in the face with her horse shoe glove.

"Ouch," Mikan started. "Hotaru you're too mean." Mikan's eyes filled with tears.

"No matter whether you're a little girl or a teenage, I'd rather stay trapped in a time void then be glomped by you, baka," Hotaru said.

"Imai, how are you still twelve? How is it that you and your brother haven't aged?" Ruka asked bewildered to see his friend in the exact same state that he last saw her four years ago.

"I would like to ask, how is that you three have grown so much? It's only been a few days hasn't it? Did you take some of that Gullivers Candy again? You could have at least told us so in advance so that we wouldn't be surprised when you arrived," Hotaru stated slightly annoyed at their supposedly lack of communication. Natsume cleared his throat.

"A few _days_? Imai, it's been a few _years _since we've seen you," Natsume replied.

"_Y-years!?_ Preposterous! We've been in here for less than a week!" Subaru exclaimed.

"Noda didn't say anything about this," Hotaru said with a slight bit of anxiety in her voice. "The measure of time in this dimension must be different than the measure of time in the outside world. I'm no expert in time logic but I'll assume that what may be one day in this time void can be an entire year in the outside world!" Hotaru explained.

"Aw! Don't feel bad about being younger Hotaru even though we may have a four year difference in our age now, we're still best friends no matter what! Besides, now you can be my cute little imooto hee hee hee," Mikan squealed as she glomped Hotaru while she had a ''Get off me if you want to live" look.

"Well, even if you two haven't aged, you should have no problem coming back with us to our home dimension, right?" Ruka questioned. Hotaru sighed.

"I'm not sure. If four years have passed then there's no guarantee that our bodies will even be able to exist in the real world now. There will definitely be some nasty side effects. There's a good chance we'll die. We can't know for sure. An outcome such as this is a proper cost I suppose. For changing fate and saving a life that could have been lost, two lives must be given up." Hotaru said while giving off a melancholy expression.

Natsume couldn't help but feel a huge sting of guilt in his heart as he was well aware for the past four years that the reason why Hotaru and her brother were suffering and stuck in this time void was because of him. Because he was so reckless to use his alice in an attempt to protect his fiancé. Given, anyone in his shoes would sacrifice themselves for the ones they loved, right? And he was more than happy to sacrifice his life for the sake of Mikan. He never asked Hotaru and her brother to save him, and now because of this he had to carry the sting of guilt in his heart. For the past four years, he wondered "_If only I would have been a little less reckless, things could have turned out differently."_ And so Natsume did something for the first time in his life that he thought he'd never do. Everyone was shocked by his actions, for he approached Hotaru, dropped his arms and knees to the ground, and bowed to her.

"I can not begin to tell you how grateful I am." The words sounded forced, but sincere. "You could have just left me, but you didn't. You didn't give up, and you sacrificed yourself." Natsume breathed heavily, his throat closing up. Hotaru's eyes widened when she saw Natsume's eyes turn a little glossy, but no one was more shocked than Mikan. Natsume was never like this. He was collected and cool. Remembering this himself, he picked himself back up and gave Hotaru a look she couldn't decipher. "I owe my entire life to you. I won't break our promise again."

"Natsume-kun, you never broke the promise to begin with. You're here now, aren't you?" Hotaru said. "Mikan needs you. She doesn't need a lot of things, but she needs you. You're my friend and the person my best friend is in love with. I wasn't about to let you die." The air dripped of a thick understanding and forgiveness. Hotaru continued.

"No matter what punishment the laws of time may await me, I'm still glad we saved you." She grabbed her brother's hand. "Besides, being trapped in this time void allowed me to gain a real relationship with my brother," Hotaru said as she happily looked towards her older brother. "Please don't feel sad Natsume, every decision that I have made for you and Mikan, I was glad to do." Hotaru gave him the sincerest look she'd ever given him.

"Thank you," Natsume said as he returned the sincere expression to her. He grabbed Mikan's hand, and smiled at her. Ruka couldn't help but feel a bit of shame for his lack of heroic deeds. Mikan was willing to sacrifice her life to stop Persona from hurting Natsume and his sister, and her happiness for the sake of the entire academy. Natsume was willing to give his life to stop the ESP's wrath on the students and protect MIkan, and the Imai siblings were willing to isolate themselves into an eternity of time to save Natsume's life. And here was Ruka jealous to even see Mikan and Natsume share a kiss. What right did he have to hold these feelings? He never did anything to sacrifice himself for the sake of his friends so what right did he have to bear these negative feelings towards them. But no matter how many times he told himself this, he just couldn't seem to escape the mental poison known a jealousy.

"I'm sorry," Ruka said under his breath as the five alices gathered round and gave thanks for their long awaited reunion. Hotaru wrapped her arms around Mikan and the best friends reunited. They all couldn't help but smile.

"Now that we're all together, we can finally return to the present time safe and sound...which we have no idea how to do..." Natsume, Ruka, Hotaru, and Subaru all turned blue in the face.

**A/N: Mikan and friends have finally reunited with Hotaru and her brother in the time void, but how will they return home? Feel free to leave comments on your prediction and thoughts. ^_^**

**This chapter was written by Sonic-Keyblade 007 and edited by edwardelric108 and Neverlookback756.**


	9. Chapter 8 (Part 2): Consequences

**A/N: So chapter 8 is a large act and needs to be divided into a few respective chapters. This is a bit of a comical chapter that makes a nice use of portraying a possible consequence of time traveling, hope you enjoy it. ^^**

**Chapter 8 (Part 2): Consequences**

"You idiots travelled all the way into this time void without knowing how to get back home?!" Hotaru exclaimed.

"I'm sorry Hotaru. We were so worried about rescuing you, that the thought of returning home I guess just didn't enter our minds." Mikan chuckled nervously. Hotaru's face turned dark and she facepalmed.

"You guys are such _idiots,_" Hotaru said as she pointed to Mikan, Ruka, and Natsume.

"That's too bad, we really thought you three had a legitimate method of getting out of this prison. I guess it looks like we'll be stuck here a little longer then," Subaru sadly replied.

"So we're _stuck here_!? But what will we do about food, water, and...well...you know." Mikan's face began to turn red. Everyone looked at Mikan bewildred by what she meant. "Oh don't make me say it!" Mikan squealed.

"If something's bothering you then just say it, Mikan," Natsume calmly said. However, Hotaru was able to read her like a book.

"Baka, you're digestive system and the aging of your body is completely put on pause here in the time void. So you don't need to worry about food, hydration, or for Mikan's worries, using the restroom in front of three guys," Hotaru explained calmly. Mikan's nervousness subsided.

"Thank goodness," Mikan said while placing her hand over her chest as a sign of relief.

"Don't be too happy about that, idiot! It may not appear that your body isn't aging, but in the realm of the normal world, time is flying by as we speak. Mere seconds here is the equivalent to hours in the normal world as proven by your current appearance. Because your body isn't aging here, that doesn't mean that your bodies won't be facing consequences caused by being in this time void too long after we get out of this place, if we ever get out of this place!" Hotaru stated causing Mikan to look worried. Natsume noticed this.

"Well we'll worry about crossing that road when we arrive at it, right Mikan? Lets focus about one thing at a time," Natsume said as he placed his hand on Mikan's shoulder.

"Y-yeah, you're right Natsume," Mikan said as she turned around and hugged her fiancé.

"You two idiots really do belong together." Hotaru thought to herself and a sweat drop began to form on the back of her head due to her friend's obliviousness. They couldn't even imagine the incredible danger that their bodies may be facing outside of this time void, however, her thinking was soon interrupted by the sound of a huge time ripple in the time void.

_*vrhgvrhgvrhgvrhgvrhgvrhgvrhgvrhgvrhgvrhgvrhgvrhgv rhgvrhgvrhgvrhgvrhgvrhgvrhgvrhgvrh!*_

A huge vortex erupted in front of Mikan and her friends.

"What the hell is that?!" Ruka shouted in horror.

"This void of time might be trying to get rid of us because we've caused too many disturbances in the time realm due to us being here," Hotaru thought out loud.

"Natsume!" Mikan screamed in fear as she grabbed Natsume's shirt, Natsume then wrapped his left arm around Mikan to protect her.

_*VRHGVRHGVRHGVRHGVRHGVRHGVRHGVRHGVRHGVRHGVRHGVRHGV RHG_*

The vortex grew louder as it came closer to Mikan and her friends. "Everyone join hands!" Hotaru shouted as she ran towards Ruka and grabbed his left arm causing him to blush slightly. Subaru grabbed Ruka's other wrist and quickly extended his left hand to grab Natsume's right arm as our heroes prepared to meet their fate. The vortex sucked up Mikan and her friends as an attempt to remove them from the time void. Again, Mikan and friends felt that they were inside a tornado as they were thrown upward. Mikan and friends tried to hold on as tight as they could to prevent them from being separated from each other. Unfortunately to their horror, Mikan was beginning to slip from Natsume's grip. Her face drained of color and she bit back a scream.

"Natsume, I'm slipping!" Mikan screamed in horror.

"Hold on Mikan!" Natsume yelled back as he tried to tighten his grip on his fiancé but the intensely powerful force of the vortex caused her to slip from his arms completely and fall, separating her from her friends. "_MIKAN!_" Natsume screamed in horror as he saw his fiancé falling after slipping out of his grip. Natsume tried to shake off Subaru's grip.

"No Natsume, there's no telling where or when this vortex will take you if we get separated!" Subaru shouted, even though he knew that there was nothing he could have done to stop Natsume's actions. After all, Natsume didn't care what danger he'd be dragged into, as long as he knew Mikan was safe. Natsume dove downward into the vortex and used his fire alice to help propel him like a rocket to catch up to Mikan. Natsume wrapped his arms around her and looked back up to his friends who appeared to be stories higher from them. "Damn, their way too high. There's no way we're getting up there, and not to mention that the force of this vortex coming down on us won't let us go up anyway," Natsume called out. _Well, atleast I'm with Mikan again, _Natsume thought.

"Oh Natsume, thank you!" Mikan said as she hugged Natsume and nuzzled her face in his chest.

"Didn't I always say that I'd protect you no matter what?" Natsume said giving Mikan his billion dollar smile. Mikan was about to reply but something caught her eye.

"Natsume look!" Mikan shouted as she pointed to her friends high above her. Natsume turned his head around and to his horror, he saw their friends getting sucked into a wormhole that appeared in the vortex they were trapped in. Then to Natsume's surprise, a wormhole seemed to appear in front of him and Mikan and began to suck the two up.

"Hold on Mikan!" Natsume shouted as the two grabbed a tight hold of each other and were sucked into the wormhole. Mikan and Natsume felt as if their bodies again were beginning to become torn from each other. It was as if the vortex was trying to do anything it could to separate Mikan and Natsume, but they fought with all their might to stay together by wrapping their arms around each other as tightly as they could.

As they were inside the wormhole, something caught Mikan's eye. A baby with raven hair wrapped in a blanket was travelling alongside them and quickly passed the two of them.

"Natsume, did you see that? I thought I just saw a baby," Mikan stated as they continued to fall through the wormhole.

"Huh? I didn't see anything, Polka," Natsume replied bewildered by what Mikan claimed to see.

"Oh ok, maybe it was just my imagination." Mikan said as the wormhole began to open and drop them off at their destination.

"Brace yourself!" Natsume said as he tightly clenched onto Mikan. As the two fell onto a field of tall grass, Mikan on top, Natsume on the bottom. Natsume gagged in pain.

"Oh no, are you alright Natsume?" Mikan asked feeling guilty about landing on top of her fiancé. She quickly got off of him, sat on her knees, and placed her hand on his forehead.

"M-Mikan." Natsume coughed.

"Huh, what's wrong Natsume?" Mikan asked worriedly and on the verge of crying due to the fear of her fiancé being seriously injured.

"I think you should lose some weight." Natsume chuckled as he began to sit up. Mikan then lightly punched him in the arm, annoyed by his response.

"You jerk! I was really worried about you!" Mikan responded with slight hurt in her voice. Natsume couldn't help but chuckle.

"I'm sorry Mikan. I couldn't resist, besides, you're really cute when you're angry." Mikan's face tinted a slight red. Natsume decided to continue. He brought his face toward hers. "That's probably why I liked picking on you so much when we were younger." Natsume wrapped his arms around her frail figure. "I didn't mean to scare you that bad. I'm sorry, okay?" Natsume said.

"Hmph," Mikan responded. She was biting back a smile.

"Huh? What's wrong, I apologized, what more do you want?" Natsume asked.

"Is that really why you'd always pick on me at the academy, Natsume? Because I look cute when I'm angry?" Mikan asked while giggling slightly.

"Well that and because you were a total airhead at times," Natsume responded which caused Mikan to pout. "See it's that kind of response that makes me want to stuff like this," Natsume drawled. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against her, a slight smile formed on his cheeks.

"Well congratulation Mr. Hyuuga, you have officially earned the title of: Douchebag," Mikan responded while playfully punching Natsume on his shoulder. "Hmm but I guess that cocky attitude is always what I liked about you." Mikan said while winking. "So where exactly are we?" Mikan wondered, the place sure looked familiar to our heroin.

"It looks like we're back at the academy. Your memory is probably a little fuzzy since it's been four years since you were here and the whole memory wipe thing probably doesn't make things any easier for you remember. But keep in mind, it's not just _where_ we are that we should make a note of, we should also be worried about _when _we are at Gakuen Alice," Natsume said as his stomach began to rumble causing him to lean over a little.

"Oh I don't feel so good," Natsume said.

"Oh no, I'm not falling for that agai-" Mikan was trying to respond as her stomach started acting up causing her to fall to the ground. "Ow, I have to use the bathroom REALLY BAD!" Mikan squealed as she noticed that Natsume's facial hair began grow a few centimeters before her very eyes. "What's happening to us Natsume?" Mikan asked leaking tears due to the pain in her stomach and the confusion.

"I think time is catching up to us Mikan. We may have been in the time void for a few minutes, but I fear that in our home dimension, that equates to a couple of days! Which means, we've gone a couple of days without, food, water, or using the bathroom. And now, our bodies are paying for it." Natsume responded. Luckily for them, their was a shared unoccupied boy/girl singles bathroom out in the field. To Mikan and Natsume the bathroom looked like a godsend.

"Let me in Mikan," Natsume said as both he and her fiancé were stuck pushing and shoving each other at the entrance due to arriving at the same time.

"Haven't you ever heard the saying, ladies first?!" Mikan replied angrily.

"I have, but you're not much of a lady," Natsume quickly responded back.

"TAKE THAT BA-*grumble*" Mikan said as her stomach began to growl again.

"Hm, judging by the the growling of your stomach and intense demand to use the bathroom," Natsume stated as Mikan suddenly had a blank expression on her face, he knew then he had her beat.

"You know what? _Fine,_ go first! Go ahead," Mikan replied trying her best to keep a straight face as she placed her hand on her growling stomach in an attempt to soothe it and crossed her legs. "Just hurry up Natsume," Mikan croaked.

"No problem," Natsume said while winking and shutting the door. "I win," Natsume said as he looked in the mirror and gave himself peace sign. Mikan spent the next few minutes simply walking back and forth waiting for Natsume and trying not to think about using the restroom. She noticed that there was a drinking fountain near the restroom but she dared not drink from it right now. But she was very thirsty, after all, her body hasn't taken in any water technically for the past couple days. She mentally cursed herself for not taking a drink to avoid embarrassment. After a few minutes passed Natsume finally come out.

"The restroom is all yours, Mikan."

"It's about time! Now go away for the moment," Mikan replied while shutting the door.

"Go where?" Natsume replied.

"I don't know! Just anywhere where you can't hear me! Perverted fox!" Mikan screamed through the closed door. Natsume then rolled his eyes.

"_Alrighty_ _Mikan_, I hope everything _comes out_ fine." Natsume said sarcastically.

"You're terrible!" Mikan whined in embarrassment.

After a few minutes, Mikan came out the restroom but quickly became outraged and embarrassed to see that her fiance was sitting on the ground a few feet in front of her. Her face turned blood red. Her expression changed, and she looked like she was going to kill him.

"What? What are you so angry about?" Natsume said as he noticed that Mikan started crying. She couldn't have possibly been on her period.

"You jerk, I told you to go away while I was using the restroom. Why do you always want to embarrass me?" Mikan said while crocodile tears rolled down her eyes.

"Mikan, calm down. I went to go get a drink of water before I _passed over dead from dehydration._ Something that you should have been doing. And then afterwards I sat on the ground and listened to some music with my MP3 player. You were so shocked and embarrassed by my appearance for whatever reason that you didn't notice the pair of headphones in my ear. I'm light headed, hungry, and out of energy. So damn it woman, do you honestly think embarrassing you is my number one priority?" Natsume asked. Mikan was speechless. He stood up and sighed.

"I just don't understand what you're so embarrassed about. When we get married and live in the same house together, are you really going to tremble in fear whenever nature calls and run out of the house or simply ask me to leave? Really Mikan?" Natsume asked with an are-you-serious expression on his face.

"Well...I mean...It's just so embarrassing," Mikan replied while wiping off her tears.

"It's embarrassing because you let it embarrass you. If you'd just ignore it and not see it as a big deal then people won't try to use it to attack you," Natsume as he put his arm over her shoulder and helped wipe her tears off. "Listen, don't ever let anyone in this world make you feel embarrassed and most of all, don't ever let me make you feel embarrassed," Natsume said as he smiled to her. Mikan smiled back. "Now why don't you go get something to drink. Then we should focus on refueling our stomachs as they've gone without food for a couple of days."

"Yeah you're right Natsume, thanks," Mikan said as she kissed his cheek.

"By the way, you look really cute when you're embarrassed," Natsume responded. Mikan's face turned slightly pink, she laughed and lightly punched his shoulder. Mikan then took Natsume's advice and rehydrated herself.

"Ok, now let's get some food I'm starving!" Mikan said energetically.

"Yeah," Natsume said while looking down slightly.

"Huh, what's wrong Natsume?" Mikan asked worriedly.

"Nothing, lets go," If this is what their bodies were going through as a consequence for being in the time void for just a few minutes, then what about the Imais. Natsume didn't let his worry show, and luckily he didn't have to try when they were interrupted by a huge explosion.

"Wh-what was that!?" Mikan exclaimed.

"I don't know, but it sounded like it came from the front gates." Natsume replied as he grabbed Mikan's hand and the couple quickly ran towards the entrance gates. To their surprise, they quickly found a young masked Natsume Hyuuga at the top of the gate and a naive young Mikan on the the side of the gate along with Narumi-sensei.

"Mikan, do you know what this means?" Natsume asked.

"I think I do Natsume," Mikan responded in shock.

"We've arrived at the day, the day we first met," Natsume said in fear.

**A/N: Well, well, well, if this isn't a surprise I don't know what is. While Mikan and friends finally reunited with Hotaru, it seems that Mikan and Natsume got separated from their friends, have travelled back in time, and are on the verge of meeting their ten year old selves. What other consequences may arrive after meeting their ten year old counterparts? Leave a comment below on what you think will happen next. ^_^**

**This chapter was written by Sonic-Keyblade 007 and edited by edwardelric108 and Neverlookback756.**


	10. Chapter 8 (Part 3): Fears

**Chapter 8 (Part 3): Fears**

"Mikan we've arrived at the day, the day we first met!" Natsume said, his voice failing to hide a hint of fear.

"Cool!" Mikan giggled. "I'm going to go say hi to my younger self!" Mikan said as she was about to get up and run to greet her younger self but was then pulled back on her arm by Natsume. "Ugh, Natsume let go, when will we ever have the chance from meeting our younger selves again? This'll be fun, maybe we can encourage the little you and me to get along," Mikan suggested.

"No Mikan are you crazy? Aren't you aware of what may happen if we come in contact with our past selves?" Natsume asked.

"Uh...We can have a really cool slumber party?" Mikan guessed. Natsume facepalmed. Could Mikan really be this oblivious?

"Mikan if we come in contact with our younger selves then we may have some sort of an influence on them. Things may get awkward between the two of them and then we may never get together. Not to mention that we may cause some of the future events to never occur if we mess around in this time period. Our very existence being here now has probably disturbed future events yet to come!" Natsume explained trying to get her to understand.

"Oh wow, I never thought about that," Mikan said as she and her boyfriend sat and saw Narumi-sensei put the younger Natsume to sleep by kissing his forehead. This clearly annoyed Natsume. "Hahaha, I remember that," Mikan said while trying her best not to laugh in order to prevent her boyfriend from becoming angry. Natsume growled.

"As much as I'd love to torch that perverted teacher..." Natsume thought as he and Mikan to their surprise were suddenly sucked up by another vortex that appeared in the sky.

"Ah, not again!" Mikan screamed as she quickly grabbed on to Natsume and our two heroes were sucked into the vortex.

"_Why is this happening again all of a sudden? We're not even in the time void!"_ Natsume thought to himself.

"Natsume, don't let go of me!" Mikan screamed.

"Of course I won't." Natsume replied as he grabbed a tighter hold of his girlfriend. And within a few moments the vortex that they were in seemed to spit them out at another destination. The two were able to land safely this time and found themselves back at the academy however, it was now sunset and they seemed to be in the playground area.

"Hey I remember this!" Mikan squealed. Natsume covered her mouth with his hand.

"Shhhhhhhh! Keep your voice down Mikan, we don't want to be discovered remember?" Natsume replied while placing his hand over Mikan's mouth and urging the two of them to go hide in a bush. "Wait a minute I remember this too!" Natsume said as he peeked through the bushes they were hiding in and he saw his younger self competing against a young Mikan in a one-on-one final round dodgeball face-off. "This was when we had our little dodgeball game and I threw the ball at you without using my alice," Natsume said looking a bit melancholy.

"Hahaha yeah I remember this day. I may have lost but the game but I still had a lot of fun, hee hee hee." Mikan giggled.

"_Why are you laughing? You lost the game!_" The young Natsume shouted to the young Mikan. This hit Natsume's heart like a solid brick.

_Wow, I sure was cruel back then._ Natsume thought to himself as memories of the dodgeball game began to flash through his head. Natsume remembered how he carelessly used his fire alice against the opposing team and showed no mercy except during the final round against the woman that he is now engaged to. _I was ruthless and carelessly shoved everyone away to the point to where I was completely alone. If it weren't for Mikan, I don't know what I would've become. That's why I have to make sure we don't do anything stupid to screw it up._ Natsume thought to himself with a sad expression on his face. Mikan noticed this and tried to comfort her boyfriend.

"Huh? What's wrong Natsume? Why do you look so sad?" Mikan asked as she put her hand on his back concerned about him.

"Nothing," Natsume responded.

"Ah come on, tell me. I can tell something's on your mind," Mikan said while poking at Natsume's cheek.

"I said it's nothing!" Natsume responded back, obviously annoyed now.

"Tell me or else I'm going to run over and say hi to our little selves," Mikan said while standing up.

"No you idiot!" Natsume said while pulling on Mikan's arm to bring her back to his level. Their conflict was so loud that the young Mikan and her classmates turned their heads to their direction that they were in. Mikan became annoyed by his response.

"Hmph, fine. I was only trying to help but it seems just like in our academy days you never seem to let me in and always push me away," Mikan said while pouting.

"_She sure is an idiot huh?_" Natsume heard his younger self tell a young Ruka in the distance while getting a drink of water from the water fountain.

_Six years have passed and I really haven't changed at all have I?_ Natsume told himself.

"I'm sorry Mikan, you're right, I have always pushed you away and I'm sorry," Natsume said as he watched his younger self walk off like he owned the place. A seemingly permanent frown on his lips, his hands in his pockets. Mikan saw how ashamed he was by the look in his eyes, and became guilty.

"Hey, come on, don't be so hard on yourself Natsume. I can admit that I can be a bit of an air head at times not to mention that I did admittedly show up to the academy sounding a bit arrogant of alices, so it's only natural that you would've said some of those things to me. And plus, much of the time it was for my own protection wasn't it? I'll never forget what you told me at the Academy Festival Dance '_A naive girl like you should stay in the light and stay out of the dark._' Admittedly that did seem pretty mean at the time but now that I look back, you were really just trying to protect me and keep me out of the hands of the ESP while you took on the burden to secretly protect me by continuing with your missions in the Dangerous Abilities class." Mikan said she gave Natsume a hug from behind him. "Natsume, don't feel bad about the silly things we may have done to each other in the past. The past should stay in the past, it's over and done with so don't let it haunt you anymore ok?" Mikan said as she kissed his cheek.

"Hmp, uh Mikan," Natsume coughed as he turned around to face her.

"Yes? What else is on your mind Natsume?" Mikan asked concerned.

"Well it's just that, I'm scared," Natsume admitted facing the ground.

"Huh? Scared of what?" Mikan asked worried about her boyfriend, this is the first time that she's ever seen Natsume scared of something, and it certainly wasn't a good feeling.

"I'm scared of losing you Mikan. I fear every moment being in these time periods because I'm worried that the slightest bit of influence on or younger selves or anyone in this academy can cause a chain reaction which may result in us never getting together, and well," Natsume said as he began to choke, I can't bear to imagine what my life would be like without you!" Natsume said as he hugged his girlfriend. Tears began to fall from his eyes, this truly was a side of Natsume that she had never seen before. In fact it was the first time that she's ever seen him cry before.

"There there Natsume," Mikan said as she began to stroke his head. "I'm not going anywhere don't worry," Mikan said as she pulled Natsume's face into her chest. Natsume felt safe and secure here. This was a feeling that has been stript away from him for the passed four years after all and he longed to have have this feeling for the rest of his life. Natsume's own words again began to haunt him. '_baka, I'm not going anywhere,_' Was what he said to Mikan so many years ago, but now it looks like the roles have been reversed and our kuro neko couldn't help but feel happy that he had someone to love, care, and worry about him for once.

"Mikan...I love you...so much." Natsume whispered to himself.

"Natsume, look!" Mikan squealed too excited to hear her boyfriend's whisper. "*giggle* The class left the court and forgot to take in their dodgeball, come on, let's play a quick game!" Mikan squealed.

"A game of dodgeball? I don't know." Natsume said questioning if he should play dodgeball with his girlfriend as it would without a doubt bring back bad memories of his early days in the academy with Mikan where he was regretfully cruel to her. Dodgeball was a violent game and he certainly did not want to cause his girlfriend any harm. But then again, dodgeball was her favorite sport and he did want to make her happy.

"Aww come on Natsume! *giggle* It'll be fun!" Mikan said as she grabbed Natsume's arm and pulled him towards the dodgeball courts. It was now dark so no one was around as all the students were now heading to bed. "Ahhhhhhhhhhh, dodgeball, the best sport ever!" Mikan said as tiny little hearts seemed to flourish around her face as she rubbed the abandoned dodgeball against her cheek.

"Mikan are you sure you want to play a game of dodgeball? I'm just worried that well, I may accidently hurt you." Natsume said as he looked melancholy. "_Damn it woman, why did your favorite sport have to be dodgeball of all sports? Why couldn't it be something harmless like basketball or tennis?_" Natsume cursed himself.

"Hee hee hee, ok Natsume we'll play one-on-one first person land three successful hits wins. Hitting your opponent on the head is against the rules and since it's just the two of us, dodging the ball will not be acceptable. And the ball must be thrown above the waste. Violation of these rules will result in a point to the other player. And don't you dare go easy on me because I'm a girl. I'm a great dodgeball player, it's my favorite sport after all." Mikan said while winking.

"_Sheesh, this is the first time I've heard her sound so professional at something, she sure does love dodgeball_," Natsume thought. "Ok then Mikan, while we're at it, why don't we make things interesting with a bet? If I win then you have to wear whatever I want you to wear for a whole month," Natsume said trying his best not to drool at the thought of Mikan wearing maid or hooker outfits as he pleased.

"Ok, and if I when then you have to be my servant for a whole week doing _anything _that I say just like when I became your servant after you won the Genie RPG during in the Alice Festival" Mikan said while giggling at the thought of all the crazy things that she'll be able to make Natsume do for her.

"_Don't I already do that_?" Natsume thought as a sweat drop appeared on the back of his forehead.

"Ok, ready to lose Natsume?" Mikan giggled.

"Heh, you won't have that attitude when you're stuck in a maid dress." Natsume said as Mikan placed the dodgeball in the middle of the court. Mikan and Natsume then slowly backed away from the ball and waited to the count of three to grab it.

"3...2...1...GO!" Mikan and Natsume shouted in unison as they both ran to the ball.

**A/N: Well this has become interesting. Mikan and Natsume are about to have the rematch of the century! Who will come out victorious in this sudden game of Dodgeball, and aren't Mikan and Natsume putting themselves in danger of being spotted by someone? Don't hesitate to leave us a comment on what you think will happen next. ^_^**

**This chapter was written by Sonic-Keyblade 007 and edited by edwardelric108 and Neverlookback756.**


	11. Chapter 8 (Part 4): Can't Dodge the Past

**Chapter 8 (Part 4): Can't Dodge the Past**

* * *

"3...2...1...GO!" Mikan and Natsume shouted in unison as they both ran to the ball.

Mikan was the first grab the ball, "Shoot!" Natsume said as he quickly moved his legs in reverse to give himself more space to catch Mikan's assault. Mikan threw the ball with all her might but Natsume caught it without much difficulty. "So Mikan, would you prefer to start off with a maid dress or a latex suit?" Natsume teased.

"Save it, city boy! You're going to do whatever I say after this game!" Mikan shouted back.

"We'll see about that!" Natsume said as he threw the ball at his girlfriend. Mikan caught it and like a windmill effect threw the ball back at Natsume before he could back up. The ball hit Natsume's chest, bounced off and hit the ground before Natsume had time to react and catch the ball. Mikan smiled in satisfaction.

"Servant, servant, Natsume is gonna be my servant," Mikan cheered which annoyed Natsume. "That's Mikan one, and her servant zero," Mikan squealed while holding up a peace sign. Natsume growled

"Don't get a swelled hea-." Natsume shouted as he caught himself in his own rage. It was only six years ago when he said those very words to Mikan during their last dodgeball game after purposefully throwing the ball at her head. "No, I-I'm not that person anymore!" Natsume told himself.

"Huh? Natsume, what's wrong?" Mikan asked concerned as she saw that his boyfriend paused and was stuck in deep thou

"Nothing, you shouldn't be worrying about me and should be more worried about what I'm gonna make you wear after this game." Natsume replied as he threw the dodgeball towards Mikan again. Mikan caught it without much difficulty due to Natsume's concentration being interrupted by the guilt he carried of the things he did in the past. Natsume had to stay focused. If he lost to this girl, lord knows what she'd make him do. He could already feel the humiliation. Mikan giggled.

"I think you're the one who needs to stay focused Natsume," Mikan teased while sticking her tongue out followed by another throw. Natsume caught it and threw the ball back. Mikan didn't budge and easily caught the ball her boyfriend threw to her. "Aw, is the big kuro neko losing...to a girl?" Mikan asked while winking as she threw the ball.

"Hmph," Natsume replied as he caught the ball that his fiancé threw. "Think Natsume, what's Mikan's weak spot. I remember, six years ago she became pretty sloppy when I made her angry about panties comment. That's it! I need to make her mad!" Natsume thought as a smirk grew on his face. "You know what Mikan, after I win this game, I'm gonna have you do away with those baby panties and have you wear a thong that'll be exposed by the short skirts you'll be wearing." Natsume said hoping to make Mikan angry.

"Hey, my panties are not baby, wha-HEY!" Mikan was saying as Natsume threw the ball to her as she was monologuing. The ball hit her chest and fell to the ground.

"Ha, now the score is even!" Natsume said.

"Hmph, well that was cheap making me mad you sneaky fox. I'm not gonna fall for it again though!" Mikan said while sticking her tongue at her boyfriend and then furiously throwing the ball back at him. Natsume caught the ball and tossed it back to Mikan, Mikan didn't fail to seize the ball and stopped for a moment to think about the best way to strike at Natsume. "If I want to beat Natsume then I gotta play smarter, not harder. Oh man, I don't want to wear a thong, I've never even wore one in my life," Mikan thought as she began to sweat bullets.

"Hey Mikan, look on the bright side, after this game, you won't have to worry about what to wear in the morning for a whole month," Natsume teased, causing Mikan to pout.

"Think Mikan, their must be something that I can do that'll catch Natsume off his guard," Mikan thought and then something hit her. Mikan clutched her ball in her left hand, lifted her left leg up and began to throw. Natsume braced himself as Mikan began to hurl the ball towards to him but was surprised to see that Mikan actually threw the ball into her right hand. Mikan then quickly spun clockwise in a full 360 degree circle on her right foot while clutching the ball and unexpected threw the ball to Natsume. The ball hit Natsume's chest and fell to the ground.

"Damn it! What the hell was that?" Natsume shouted in confusion. Mikan winked.

"That's something that Hotaru taught me. We call it, the country girl twirl, but of course, being a city boy and all, you wouldn't know anything about that." Mikan winked while sticking out her tongue. Hee hee hee, one more point and I'll have a handsome raven haired servant for a whole week!" Mikan giggled while fantasizing about Natsume giving her a massage.

"No way I'm letting that happen!" Natsume yelled.

"Hey Natsume, maybe I can find you a nice butler outfit to wear during your service for me this week," Mikan giggled.

"Shut up, I'm the one who'll be doing the outfit picking this week, outfits that you'll be wearing!" Natsume shouted back. And then he got an idea. "Ugh!" Natsume said as he collapsed to the ground.

"Huh? What's wrong Natsume?" Mikan called out, a hint of worry in her voice. Natsume didn't reply, he just kneeled over, his breathing labored. His fists gripped onto his chest.

"Oh no! Natsume, please is there anything that I can do to help maybe I should call the Gakuen Alice Medical Center, but that'll probably expose us as time travelers though, oh what should I do?" Mikan said about to cry as she was frightened that her Natsume was in danger.

"I guess there's something you can do," Natsume said tightening his grip on the ball.

"What? What can I do Natsum-oof" Mikan said as she was hit with the ball thrown by Natsume.

"You could add another point to my score, ha ha, now we're tied again," Natsume said while smirking.

"Natsume, that's not fair I was really worried about you!" Mikan said while wiping her eyes.

"All is fair in love and war Mikan. You're so gullible," Natsume said while continuing to smirk at his girlfriend. "So now the score is even, next point wins," Natsume stated.

"*Grrrr* I won't lose!" Mikan said as the two of them continued to throw the dodgeball back and forth, neither of them giving in and neither of them letting their soon-to-be-spouse earn the final point. They've been exchanging throws for at least 30 minutes, and both players were out of energy.

"*huff* *huff* Why don't you just give it up Mikan you're completely drained," Natsume said.

"*huff* *huff I could say the same for you, Natsume! I won't lose!" Mikan yelled out, determined. But despite how much she wanted to win, Natsume did have a point, both she and Natsume were out of energy. If she continued to play the way she did now then Natsume would probably probably eventually overpower her. "Think Mikan, what is Natsume's weakness?" She thought and then something came to her. "*Ehem* Hey Natsume," Mikan began to speak.

"Huh what is it? Are you ready to give up?" Natsume suggested.

"Well I was just thinking if you're going to make me wear a thong for the rest of the month," Mikan said as she put the ball down and began to lift up her skirt, "Could we at least find a thong that has strawberry print like this?" Mikan said while her face turned as red as a tomato and she willingly gave Natsume a clear view of her strawberry printed panties. Admittedly, Mikan was embarrassed at the very thought of showing Natsume what's under her skirt, but she realized that she would have to do this anyway for him if she lost due to the skimpy outfits that Natsume would have her wear, so she didn't really have anything to lose. Natsume was completely puzzled, Mikan never willingly to let him see her panties. Natsume's heart started to race and his palms started seat as he left his guard down. "GOTCHA!" Mikan squealed as she quickly bent down to grab the dodgeball and threw it to her boyfriend with all of her might.

"H-hey!" Was all Natsume could spit out as he quickly got into position catch the ball. The hurling object spun in the palm of his hands but Natsume couldn't quite obtain a full grasp of it as the ball slipped out of his hands and fell to the ground. The game was over, Mikan won.

"Hurray, I win! Now you gotta give up your end of the bargain Natsume," Mikan while winking and wiggling her right index finger.

"Wha-well that's not fair! You cheated, you used your femininity to distract me!" Natsume angrily responded.

"Well that's no different than you pretending to be in pain and then throwing the ball at me when I was distracted and I was worried about you!" Mikan said annoyed and placing her hands on her hips. She had quite a point, and Natsume couldn't argue.

"*sigh* Fine, what do you want me to do Mikan." Natsume said in defeat.

"*Ehem* That's Master Sakura to you mister," Mikan replied big headed.

"What? That wasn't part of the deal!" Natsume snapped back.

"The deal was that you'll do whatever I want for a week, and I WANT you to call me Master Sakura," Mikan said with an evil grin on her face.

"*Tff* I didn't make you call me Master Hyuuga when you became my servant after I won the Genie RPG game, heartless woman," Natsume said under his breath. Natsume sighed, took a deep breath, and accepted his fate. "What do you want me to do for you...Master Sakura." Natsume said almost gagging after realizing what he just said.

"Servant, I want you to..." Mikan's request was suddenly put to a halt as our two heroes were swallowed by another time vortex. "Ahhh! Servant, hold me!" Mikan squealed.

"*Sigh* This is getting old," Natsume replied in annoyance as he held his fiancé/master and prepared to arrive at their new destination. When Mikan and Natsume arrived at their next destination, they noticed confetti in the air, music playing all around them, and food shown as far as the eye could see. It was quite obvious where they landed, they were at the Academy Festival Dance. Luckily, no one saw them as they landed behind a few bushes but the area still wasn't a safe place to be in as they could still fall victim to someone spotting them, "Mikan, we better get out of here, someone may see us!" Natsume stated, but Mikan didn't budge.

"*Ahem*, I don't see a 'Mikan' around here," Mikan said while playing dumb, Natsume's face then began to turn red.

"Master Sakura, we need to go if we don't want to cause a time paradox!" Natsume said giving his master a deathly glare.

"Fine fine let's go, *growl* but boy, am I hungry, and all this fancy food being out is a big tease. Mikan said sadly as her stomach began to rumble. Natsume's stomach began to rumble as well while he and Mikan ran away from the festival area and deeper into the forest area.

"Well you do have a point, we haven't been able to refuel our stomachs," Natsume said while placing his hand over stomach as well. "Hey Master Sakura, I just realized something, I don't have to be your servant anymore," Natsume said with a smirk on his face.

"Huh? Why not?" Mikan asked with obvious disappointment in her voice.

"Well the deal was that I would be your servant for one week, well thanks to this time vortex that brought us to this dance festival, more than a week has passed since we made that deal so technically, I don't have to be your servant anymore. Maybe you should have been more specific and said one week within our mental time," Natsume said with a smirk on his face.

"Aww, but that's not fair!" Mikan pouted

"Don't worry, even though you didn't think out your part of the deal, because I love you so much, I'll continue to be your servant, but on one condition," Natsume said.

"Huh? What's that," Mikan asked.

"There's no way in hell that I'm going to call you Master Sakura for a whole week, I'll do any physical labor you tell me to do, but calling you master is out of the question," Natsume said taking control of their deal.

"Fine," Mikan said while pouting since Natsume will no longer be calling her master, but at least he'll still be her servant Mikan thought as she and Natsume continued to run into the darkness of the forest.

"A naive girl like you should stay in the light and out of the dark."

Natsume, heard something as they were running but to his horror he and Mikan just ran into exactly what they were trying to prevent as they saw that their younger selves were staring at them with a bewildered expression on their faces.

"Who are you two, you look familiar and I could have sworn that I saw you during this idiot's stupid dodgeball game?" The young Natsume coldly asked.

* * *

**A/N: Ok, well this chapter ended up being longer than I thought it would. Well it looks like Natsume quite an interesting week ahead of him but now they he and his fiancé have ran into the exact issue that they wanted to avoid. What will happen now that their younger selves are aware of their existence? Feel free to leave a comment below of what you think will happen next. ^_^**

**This chapter was written by Sonic-Keyblade 007 and edited by edwardelric108 and Neverlookback756. **


	12. Chapter 8 (Part 5): Time Paradox

**Chapter 8 (Part 5): Time Paradox **

"Who are you two?" The young Natsume asked coldly.

"You two do look familiar. Are you students from the senior division?" The young Mikan questioned curiously while smiling.

"Don't be stupid polka-dots, these two aren't wearing these stupid festival outfits that we have on. They don't have the academy attire on either, so they must be outsiders, but my question is how were they able to get into this academy? Only alices are allowed here. So talk, who are you two and how did you get in here?" The young Natsume asked boldly. Mikan and Natsume looked at each other in worry, they simply didn't know how to respond.

"Uh my name is Azumi and this is my boyfriend, Yukihira," Mikan nervously said on the spot. "We just thought it would be nice to take a stroll through Gakuen Alice during the Alice Festival," Mikan nervously said.

"That doesn't answer my question, how did you two get into this academy, only alices are allowed here so the guards should not have let you in." The young boy said as Mikan and Natsume began to sweat and chattering their teeth.

"We're graduates of the academy and just decided to visit it. Natsume replied.

"Wow academy alumni!" The young Mikan said in awe, but the young Natsume didn't seem to buy their story.

"Hmph, if you really are alumni then show me your alices," The young Natsume stated coldly.

"Yeah I want to see your alices too!" The young Mikan squealed.

"Baka!" The young Natsume replied to the young Mikan.

"Nasty fox!" The young Mikan shouted back.

"Super Baka," The young Natsume stroke back.

"Quick, we better run away while they're distracted before we mess with this time period anymore!" Natsume stated.

"Yeah, good point," Mikan replied as the two joined hands and started running away but were stopped by a wall of flames.

"Hey, where do you think you're going!" The young Natsume said after activating his fire alice nearly lighting Mikan's skirt on fire, luckily Natsume was able to pat off the small flames.

"_Damn, was I really this cruel back then?"_ Natsume asked himself.

"Natsume stop it! You may hurt them!" The young Mikan said while trying to nullify her classmate's alice.

"Shut up ugly, for all we know, these two may be spies from an anti-alice organization. They could be dangerous!" The ten year old boy angrily responded.

"Natsume stop, I don't think they mean any harm!" The young girl said as she put herself in front of the older Mikan and Natsume while spreading her arms and facing the 10 year old boy.

"Get out of the way dummy!" The young Natsume said extending the palm of his hand to face the young girl and the couple behind her. He lit off another fire ball and attacked the couple,

"I need to teach this brat a lesson," The older one said as he lost his temper and fought back using his alice as well. A battle of fire ensued.

"No way. You have the fire alice as well." The young Natsume was surprised.

"Wait! You promised me that you wouldn't use it unnecessarily!" The older Mikan yelled. The 16 year old Natsume ignored her, he had to stop that "brat" and knock some sense into him.

"Hmph," Came the prompt reply from his older self. And another blow of fire punch almost landed on the young Natsume's cheek. Wait..almost?

"Stay away from him." His alice was nullified by a younger version of his beloved," Leave him alone," She warned him.

"Stay out of this Mikan. This is your your good!" He warned the little girl.

"Ho-how do you know my name?" She was surprised. He took advantage of her distraction and attacked the younger Natsume with a punch.

"Stop it already! Please….Natsume." His fiance was worried

"_SHUT UP!_" Yelled both the Natsume at the same time.

"Please…stop it…both of you..." The older Mikan was kneeling down on the floor as she cried out sobbing loudly. He stopped his flame and walked up to her and embraced her in his arms cradled her and calmed her down.

"Sorry," he whispered. The two young students stared at them.

Realization dawned on the 10 year old boy. That lady called that man "Natsume," he has the fire alice, and he has the exact same blood red eyes and raven hair as he did…

That lady was lying, he wasn't Yukihara'. That man he was fighting was..That means he's...

"No way…This can't be true. You're...you're me," the young Natsume said in disbelief.

"I _am_ smart. Gotta give myself some credit." His older self smirked.

"What really? That's you?" The younger Mikan was confused. "How?"

"Time travel I assume," Her 'friend' replied.

"More like time mishap," His older version corrected him.

"Noda?" The younger Natsume asked.

"Something like that," The 16 year old Natsume replied.

"Who's that with you then?" His younger version asked. "Azumi? Don't tell me I am actually dating someone in future."

"More like engaged. And her name's not Azumi." The older Natsume smirked again. "I thought I was smart. You recognized yourself, don't tell me you can't recognize her." The 16 year old said.

"I can't believe someone would agree to marry an idiot like you!" The younger Mikan cried in astonishment.

"Tch." They both smirked much to Mikans' dismay.

"If you don't believe our words then take a look at this," the older Natsume said as he flipped up his girlfriend's skirt revealing strawberries.

"Ichigo chara?" The younger one said in disbelief. "Still? At 17?"

"_NATSUME YOU PERVERT….HOW DARE YOU DO THAT IN FRONT OF YOUNG KIDS…...YOU….._" His fiance was practically punching him.

"What happened to you Polka?" The younger version of her fiance asked while her own younger self looked like she just saw a ghost.

"Puberty," Older Natsume helped his younger self. The kid walked up to her to examine her closely, he couldn't believe at who he was looking at.

"Hey big Mikan, come closer," he stated to his older girlfriend. She bent down so that she could reach his height level. And the fearless ten year old placed his hands on her chest, groping her breasts . "So you do grow mountains after all. I almost thought that they were fake implants. But I was wrong."

"NATSUME! YOU BIG PERVERT! IT'S RUDE TO TOUCH A LADY'S CHEST," She smacked him hard this time.

"Hands off my fiance," His older version warned him. Mikan couldn't believe he was jealous of himself. Ironic. It seemed, that the two Natsume's and the older Mikan were having a fun time, but the younger Mikan on the other hand wasn't feeling very comfortable about this whole sneak peek of her future. Who could blame her? Not everyone would be as carefree as Natsume to suddenly see at the age of 10 what your destiny is and who you will be marrying. The young girl started to sweat and her heart beat started to increase. The older Natsume noticed this and tried to take action.

"Mikan calm down," The 16 year old young man stated but was unfortunately unable to calm down the young girl.

"It-it's too much to take in! I can't end up with Natsume he's such a jerk! I-I can't take it! WHAAAAAAA!" The young Mikan said as she began to cry and run away.

"Great!" The younger Natsume said sarcastically.

"Mikan!" The older Natsume said while extending his arm in her direction as he was about to pursue her but suddenly began to collapse which attracted both the younger Natsume's and the older Mikan's attention.

"NATSUME!" The 17 year old girl screamed in agony as her fiancé began to fall off his feet right in front of her. Mikan dashed by his side leaned out her arms to catch him as he was falling on his back, but the kuro neko phased through her arms and disappeared with his body leaving behind nothing but particles of light. Mikan looked torn and broken, her boyfriend just vanished from thin air and she didn't understand how or why. "Oh no! No, no, no, no, no! Natsume please come back! Please!" Mikan screamed as she fell to the ground and started crying.

"That was….weird. What the hell just happened?" The younger Natsume asked.

"He's gone, he's really gone!" Mikan said while looking at the palms of her hands in disbelief of what just happened.

"I don't believe this there's no way that I could grow up to become that bone head nor would I ever come to be engaged with you polka-dots." The young Natsume said in annoyance which angered Mikan even further.

"You don't believe me? Well I can prove how close I am to you because I know everything about you! I know that you and your sister Aoi were raised from a single parent, Mr. Hyuuga, while constantly trying to run from the academy by moving to different cities. I know that you took the blame for Aoi-chan after she burned down your village. I know that Ruka-pyon joined you when you decided to come to Gakuen Alice alone in order to emotionally support you as your friend. I know that you've been doing secret missions for the academy in the dangerous abilities class to protect your younger sister Aoi-chan. I know that you have the fourth alice shape which you inherited from your mother, Kaoru Hyuuga, but you desperately decide to use in order to protect your family and friends. And...and…." Mikan said as she could barely believe the intense and passionate tone of language and words that she was using. The young Natsume looked stun as he came to understand that this woman was in fact the real deal and that she really did love him and he couldn't resist the fact that she had feelings for her too. "And…and Natsume Hyuuga, I love you, from now until forever…..." The 17 year old said as she embraced the young boy in her arms and showered his face with multiple kisses.

"This is too fast for me as well, I don't blame the younger you from running off now," The young Natsume said as he placed his hand on his forehead due to a headache that was beginning to arise.

"I just want _my_ Natsume back!" Mikan said as she began to cry again.

"Why are you two even here in the first place? Don't you idiots understand the danger of time paradoxes?" The 10 year old asked.

"Time paradox? That's what my Natsume warned may happen if we come in contact with our younger selves. But…..what exactly is a time paradox?" Mikan asked desperately. The young Natsume facepalmed his forehead as he was amazed by how he can end up falling in love with such an idiot.

"A time paradox is the erasing of certain events that may occur when traveling in time," Natsume stated but Mikan had a blank expression on her face and the young boy facepalmed himself. "Let me put it in a scenario that even your tiny brain will be able to understand. For example, say if I gave you money to buy a box of holowans tonight then the next day you travel back in time with your box of holowans and then manage to tick me off and decide not to give you money to buy the holawans. With no money to buy the holowans, your box would pop out of existence because you never obtain the money to buy the box of holowans in the first place. I have no idea why my older self popped out of existence though, unless….." Natsume said as his eyes began to widen. "Does something happen to me in the near future?" The boy said with a worried expression on his face. Mikan sadly looked away and was speechless, she didn't want to risk corrupting this time period more than she already did. "I die from my alice shape don't I?" The young Natsume said looking depressed but oddly wasn't surprised. "No need to play dumb, I can already see by your expression what my fate is," The little Natsume said while sadly looking at the ground.

"Natsume you won't die!" Mikan shouted which caught Natsume's attention. "I don't want to tell you how or when but you won't die from your alice Natsume. Please just trust me, I won't let that happen! I swear that on my life Natsume!" Mikan said as she held onto the boy's hands close to her heart. Natsume could feel her heart pounding.

"M-Mikan," Was all he was able to say. He was confused, why was his heart pacing at the same rate? It was as if, two hearts were in sync. But why? "Find that little polka. I think convincing her about accepting me, will bring back your natsume." The young boy stated.

"Huh, how will the little me change anything?" Mikan asked bewildered causing a sweat drop to appear on the back of Natsume's head.

"You said that you wouldn't let me die from my alice right? Well if that's true then the reason why your boyfriend faded from existence is because by you two shocking the younger Mikan with your appearance, this caused her to not want anything to do with me as she probably doesn't feel mentally prepared. Because of this, you were never able to save me from my alice so my future self just popped out of existence. You need to comfort her and let her know all the great things that you love about the 16 year old Natsume Hyuuga. It would probably be better if you went alone to find and speak with her as my appearance would probably just upset that airhead." Natsume couldn't believe he was saying those words, but he had to, it was his future at stake here. He didn't wanna just vanish from the future because of a silly idiot.

"Alright Natsume, I'll go find her and trust me, I'll be able to make her see the kind and generous person you really are," Mikan said as she hugged the 10 year old boy, oddly enough, Natsume didn't fight her hug and actually enjoyed it somewhat. "Well I'm off, I'll be back soon," Mikan said she ran into the darkness of the forest area chasing after her younger self.

Our 17 year old brunette ran as fast as she could into the heart of the forest where she saw her younger self run a few moments ago. Mikan quickly followed but after a few minutes of searching she became confused and slightly lost. She wasn't anywhere near to finding her younger self and every second that passed was another second closer to another time vortex sucking her up without her precious Natsume. "Think Mikan, think, where would I have gone in a time like this at the age of 10?" Mikan thought and then something hit her. "I got it! I'd always go to my Hotaru whenever I was feeling down!" Mikan thought as she began to head towards the dance floor where she saw her younger self dancing with Hotaru. She was about to run to greet her younger self but didn't want to risk making a big scene which in turn would undoubtedly make this time paradox incident even worse. "Think Mikan, what can I do to gain my 10 year old counterpart's attention?" Mikan thought as she crouched down to hide behind a pair of bushes and noticed a small rock near the palm of her hand.

"So Mikan, what's on your mind? You seem kinda down," Hotaru stated.

"Oh it's nothing," Mikan replied lying in an attempt to not suck Hotaru into her drama but Hotaru was able to read her like a book.

"Come on Mikan, I can tell that something is in your mind in that empty skull of yours," Hotaru stated while smirking slightly.

"Oh Hotaru I can't hide anything from you, the truth is I think I just met my-ow!" Mikan said as she felt a rock hit the back of her head.

"Grrrrr! It's probably that nasty fox being a jerk to me again!" Mikan thought. "I'll be right back Hotaru," Mikan said as she walked into the forest area where she believed that the rock that was thrown to her head came from. Although while expecting to see Natsume, she instead ran into her older self.

"Ahhhh! It's you again!" The young girl screamed.

"Shhhhhh! Call down Mikan! I don't mean any harm!" The 17 year old Mikan shouted in desperation.

"I just want to be left alone, please. It's too much to take in, I don't know if I want to end up with Natsume!" The young Mikan shouted as her face began to turn red and her eyes began to become swollen. The older Mikan then grabbed her younger self by the waist and embraced her in a tight hug.

"Mikan, please just listen to me. I know that right now Natsume can seem mean, rebellious and overall cruel but believe me. Behind that bad attitude, he really does love you, more than you will ever know. You are his light piercing through the darkness of this academy. He may not admit it now but he means the world to you and will be will be willing to do anything for you Mikan! He's even willing to give his own life for you Mikan!" The 17 year old girl said trying her best to knock some sense into her younger self.

"Natsume, he really thinks that way about me?" The younger Mikan wondered.

"I..I..I still can't believe I actually date Natsume…..I…." The younger Mikan was still coping with fact that the boy she fights with 24/7 is her fiance in future.

"Hey, don't think too much about it, okay? Things will happen at their natural course of events. Give yourselves some time. I am sure you guys will come to realize your true feelings," Her older version said as she patted her head. "Did you read Ji-chan's letter?" She asked her to calm her down. Her younger version nodded.

"Good." The 17 year old replied.

"Um, older me, is it ok if I call you 'Mikan-oneesan'?" The 10 year old girl asked.

"Hahaha, sure Mikan," The 17 year old replied while giggling.

"Hey, Mikan-oneesan, do I get to see him again? Ji-chan I mean..." She asked her future self.

"Yes. Don't worry you have a long happy life ahead of you with everyone you love and cherish." The older Mikan replied.

"Everyone including Natsume?" The 10 year old enquired.

"Yes, especially Natsume." Said the 17 year old.

"Tell me Mikan-neesan. Does he...really….?" Questioned the younger Mikan.

"Yes, my dear. Don't worry about it. Natsume really loves me….us….He's scared to show it right now but when the time comes he will come to your side. And when that happens I want you to take him in your arms, give him your warmth, your love. Okay?" The older Mikan stated while smiling.

"When will that happen? Because he always pushes me away...he says I shouldn't enter into his dark world." The younger Mikan said while crossing her arms and pouting.

"Oh right I remember he did say that to me at the Last Dance…" The older Mikan laughed at the old memories. "Natsume is a stubborn kid right now, he's reckless. He says that because he wants to protect you. He really does loves you though, even right now." The 17 year old Mikan said while patting the younger Mikan's head.

"Really? But he didn't even accept my invitation to dance." The young Mikan said while pouting again.

"Trust me Mikan, he does like you even now and secretly he's happy to know that you two get together in future. I think he started crushing on you since that time you saved him from Reo." The 17 year old said while winking.

"Did he tell you that?" The little Mikan asked.

"No, but I know it. He mumbles about it sometimes in his sleep." The big Mikan said trying not to laugh.

"You-you guys….sleep together!?" The young Mikan was red like tomato.

"Yeah, but not in a pervy way." The older Mikan assured her younger self.

"You know, he makes you angry not because he doesn't like you, he does that because to him you look cute when you're angry. Well that's what he told me anyway." Mikan said while giggling and blushing slightly.

"He really said that?!" The 10 year old girl asked excitedly.

"Yup and get this, he has a real thing for your hair and especially loves it when you put it down, he told me it looks prettier that way which is why I have my hair down right now," Mikan stated while blushing again slightly.

"Wow so he really likes my hair?" The young Mikan said while playing with one of her pigtails.

"Yeah Mikan. As you get older, you'll realize that boys tend to do really silly things such as name calling or skirt flipping when they simply don't know how to respond to a girl who they think is really pretty," Mikan stated while winking and giggling.

"Wow, so Natsume really thinks I'm pretty huh? Hmmmmmmm," The little Mikan said as she closed her eyes and placed her hands over her chest.

"So Mikan, are you willing to give Natsume another chance?" The 17 year old Mikan asked.

"Yes, I-I do want to get to know Natsume better," The younger Mikan said while blushing.

Her older version assured her and calmed her. "Hey Mikan promise me you won't let him overuse his alice okay?" The older Mikan said as she bent down and held out her pinky finger inviting her younger self to a pinky promise.

Her younger version was more than ready to fulfill that promise because she didn't want him to die as well, so she exdended her pinky and accepted her older counterpart's promise by crossing her pinky with the older Mikan's pinky. She was glad that he wasn't dead in future. She mentally prayed and thanked god for that. Both the girls hugged each other like sisters.

The 17 year old Mikan then grabbed the 10 year old Mikan by her hand and the two of them ran through the forest to reunite with their kuro neko.

**A/N: It looks like the younger Mikan is willing to give her brash rival a chance to get to really know each other and possibly have a future together, but will this alone be enough to save the future Natsume? Stay tuned next time for the conclusion of chapter 8.**

**This chapter was written by all three authors: Sonic-Keyblade007, edwardelric108, and Neverlookback756.**


	13. Chapter 8 (Part 6): Resolution

**Chapter 8 (Part 6): Resolution**

"Um, Mikan-oneesan? I was a little confused about something that you said. You told me earlier that if I don't give Natsume a chance that you'll never be together what did you mean by that?" The young girl asked.

"Uh, well, I guess a time paradox happened. As soon as you ran away, my Natsume just faded from existence, it's kinda hard for me to explain but I saw it happen before my very eyes and it was really scary," Mikan said trying her best not to tear up.

"Oh no that's horrible. I-I don't really understand what a time paradox is but I didn't want Natsume to disappear or anything," The 10 year old Mikan said feeling guilty.

"You shouldn't bear all this guilt on yourself Mikan. I can't blame you for wanting to run away after being shocked by seeing your future self and fiancé, but you have the power to change Natsume's fate though Mikan," The older Mikan said while smiling.

"I-I have the power to save Natsume?" The young Mikan said bewildered by what her older counterpart meant.

"Yes Mikan, without you to protect him from himself, from his alice, Natsume will die because he has the fourth alice shape. Don't you see? He needs you Mikan, he may not show it but he does have feelings for you and only you have the power to save him from his alice, please I'm begging you Mikan!" The 17 year old girl said slightly clenching her hand that was holding the younger Mikan's hand.

"Ok, I'll try!" Said the 10 year old Mikan gaining new faith in her raven haired classmate. A few moments later, the two Mikan's finally found the 10 year old Natsume sitting by himself waiting for the two Mikans to find him.

"Mikan!?" Was all that the 10 year old boy could spit out of his mouth.

"Natsume," The 10 year old girl replied with a smile on her face. "Natsume, I know that we may have our differences but I'm willing to set those aside to get to know you better," The 10 year old Mikan said as she extended her arm out as an invitation for a handshake and blushing slightly.

"Hn," Was the only response Natsume had to give as he crossed his arms and turned his head while closing his eyes which angered both Mikans. But they were distracted with a bright light appearing in middle of the forest.

At this instant, a flash of light appeared in front of Natsume and the two Mikans within that flash of light a 16 year old Natsume reappeared from the disastrous time paradox.

"Natsume!" The 17 year old Mikan shouted in relief to see that her fiancé was able to return safe and sound from wherever he was.

"Oh, wha-what happened to me?" The 16 year old asked as he skimmed the area with a light head.

"You're back Natsume!" Mikan said as she ran towards her boyfriend, wrapped him in her arms and flooded the raven haired boy with a bunch of kisses which seemed to startle Natsume slightly.

"M-Mikan, what's gotten into you?" The 16 year old Natsume asked in confusion.

"Uh, Natsume-kun? You don't remember what happened? Apparently after I ran away, you popped out of existence due to a time paradox. Don't you remember anything? The young Mikan asked bewildered.

"Uh…..no. The only thing remember is you running away and that I was about to chase after you and then poof, here I am." The older Natsume said as rubbed his head.

"Aw it doesn't matter, the only thing that matters is that you're safe, you're here Natsume!" Mikan said as she engulfed her face further into his chest.

"Wow so am I really in the presence of my future self and fiancé?" The younger Mikan thought out loud.

"Hey older me, I need to talk to you in private," The younger Natsume said as he tugged onto his older counterpart's shirt and began pulling him.

"Uh, we'll be back Mikan, you two gossip or do something girly I guess in the meantime," The older Natsume said.

"Hey what do you mean by that?!" Both Mikans angrily shouted as the two Natsumes disappeared into the darkness of the forest.

"How old are you?" The young Natsume asked. The two 'men' were 'conversing' (well they are both Natsume so conversing would be an overstatement.) in private; away from the girls, who were busy gossiping about past and present.

"16," The older Natsume replied.

"Why did you come here in the first place?" The young boy wondered.

"We didn't mean to come here, we arrived on accident," The older Natsume replied.

There was a long period of silence when the younger one broke it.

"I still can't believe I fall for that idiot," The 10 year old mumbled in disbelief.

"I still can't believe I was such a jackass," The 16 year old stated.

"Watch your mouth!" His younger self was ready to fight again.

"Might wanna lose that temper. It's bad for you kid," The old Natsume said in annoyance.

"Don't call me a kid," The younger Natsume shouted back.

"Okay then, _brat_" He smirked and continued. "Stop lying to yourself. You've had crush on her ever since that day she came and rescued you from Reo," The older Natsume said taunting his younger self.

"I _do not_ have a crush on Polka. Crushes are for girls. I am _the _Kuro Neko. I don't have crushes," The young boy said at the top of his lungs.

"You're right, brat. You DO NOT have a crush on her. You love her. More than your life." The older Natsume replied back.

"Shut up already! Old man!" The young Natsume snapped.

"I speak from experience, you know. I am you. You are me. And I know I was a jackass, so I want you to be nice to her," The older Natsume said with a dead serious expression on his face.

"You can be 'nice' to whoever you want, to polka or whatever. I don't give a shit. I have a reputation to maintain here," The 10 year old replied.

"Is that so? You don't care about her at all?" The older Natsume asked.

"No!" His younger self replied.

"I knew I was a jerk, but I didn't know I was a coward. A coward who can't even confess to the girl I love. Tch," The 16 year old said while turning his head in shame of his younger self.

"Hey! Don't interfere in my life, okay? Especially my love life," The younger one was getting pissed off. "Did I ask you once about how hot Polka is in bed?" The younger Natsume snapped back. The older Natsume looked away. He himself wished he knew that himself.

"Don't avoid it," The 10 year old pushed on his older self.

"Don't irritate me brat!" The older Natsume replied.

"Wait. Don't tell me. You two…" He almost laughed. "You two haven't actually had sex? I wonder how Polka looks without her strawberries on," The older Natsume grabbed the younger by his collar and pulled him up close. His eyes were on fire.

"_Don't ever talk so cheaply about her again_," The older one grabbed his collar and was ready to hit his face if one more word came out of his mouth disrespecting Mikan.

"You really do love her," Admitted his younger self.

"Yeah. And I don't care about her body. I love her soul. Her heart. I will wait for her to be ready for it. I don't want to rush things and hurt her feelings," He released his grip on the boy's collar, "It's called 'making love' for a reason," The older Natsume stated.

"Whatever. I don't care about my future sex life now," He straightened his collar, "I can't believe I don't know how to shave properly," He commented, he had noticed the scratches and bruises on his cheek when he held himself closer.

"Mikan doesn't know how to shave," The 16 year old replied in slight embarrassment.

"You let her shave you?" The 10 year old asked, this was too much for the kura neko's reputation.

"Long story," The 16 year old replied.

"I am sure I don't wanna hear it," The 10 year old replied in annoyance.

"Hn," And silence followed again. Conversing with your self was like talking to your conscience, more like your bad ass conscience. The older Natsume wondered how those Mikans were doing it so smoothly.

"Hey brat," The older Natsume called out. The younger raised his eyebrow. "Thank you," Okay, so now he was apologizing as well. This old man was definitely not him.

"For?" The younger Natsume asked.

"Calling her 'Mikan' for the first time. It means alot to her," The 16 year old replied.

"I only did it so-" The young Natsume started but was then interrupted by his older self.

"-so that she would stop bothering you?" The kid was surprised at the fact that his future self knew the exact words he was about to articulate. This old man was a real deal.

He smiled at his naivety. "I said that to Ruka too when he asked me the same question. But deep down I did it to make her happy. And I know that for a fact," The older Natsume stated.

"Hey you guys!" Both Mikan's came running towards them.

"You two done 'gossiping'?" The older Natsume asked.

"We were not gossiping we were talking," The younger Mikan stated while pouting and then clenched as she felt a sharp pain in her feet. This was the first time that she was wearing her fancy white dress shoes for the Alice Festival Dance so she didn't have much time to break them in and her feet were just now starting to suffer from it."Ow, all this running around has made my feet sore, I could really use a piggy back ride from Ji-chan right about now," The younger Mikan said with a sad expression on her face due to the memories of her grandfather who she hasn't seen in awhile.

"Oh, hey Natsume, why don't you give the little me a piggyback ride?" The older Mikan said with a malicious grin on her face.

"What? Why do I have to give her one?" The older Natsume whined.

"Because you're still my servant remember? And that technically means that you're little Mikan's servant too riiiiiiiiiight?" The 17 year old said while winking. "And for both our sakes you should try to make her feel as happy as possible if you want to leave a good impression in contrast to your younger self," The older Mikan whispered in her boyfriend's ear.

"But…" The older Natsume started but was then interrupted by his girlfriend talking to her younger self.

"Hey little me guess what? Your future fiancé lost to me in a bet so now he has to do what we say so he can give you a piggyback ride if you want! In fact you can make him do ANYTHING you want. Think of this as payback for the outcome of the Genie RPG game!" The 17 year said while giving her younger self a high five which seemed to greatly cheer up the younger Mikan.

"Wow is that true Natsume-kun? Will you really do whatever I want?" The younger Mikan asked hardly believing what her older self said. Natsume looked like he wanted to strangle his girlfriend but gave in since making the little Mikan as happy as possible would probably be admittedly the best way to ensure that all would go well for his current relationship with Mikan. So Natsume took a deep breath and accepted his end of the bargain.

"Yes master, I'm at your every command," The older Natsume said while trying his best not to barf after hearing what he just said. The younger Natsume's jaw dropped to the ground in awe of what his future self just said. What happened to the fierce kuro Neko. "Th-there's no way that I could become him?!" The younger Natsume angrily shouted.

"Wow Natsume-kun, you're such a gentleman. I wish the younger Natsume could be more like you!" The little Mikan squealed.

"Tch, like Hell," The younger Natsume replied as the 10 year old girl climbed on top of the older Natsume's shoulders who was kneeling down to his future girlfriend, she placed her legs on top of his shoulders hanging on as tight as she could.

"Wheeeeeee! This is fun Natsume-kun!" The 10 year old squealed. The younger Natsume was becoming very upset that his older self was hogging all the attention from the little Mikan. The 17 year old Mikan noticed this and tried to cheer him up.

"You know, you could just simply change your attitude if you want to get more attention from her Natsume," The 17 year old said while patting his head, which annoyed the 10 year old boy.

"Shut up! I don't have to do jack for her," The younger Natsume said as his older counterpart switched from piggyback position, to pony position as he got on his knees and hands and gave the 10 year old Mikan a pony ride. "Oh, how embarrassing!" The younger Natsume thought as the older Mikan continued to try and have a conversation with her future fiancé.

"Why don't you simply try being nicer to her Natsume? I'm sure that she'll come to like you more if you'd just drop the nasty attitude?" The 17 year old suggested.

"Hmph," Natsume nastily replied as he was now staring at his older counterpart who was massaging the younger Mikan's shoulders and then moved down to massage her sore feet.

"Natsume, I know that the real why reason why you continuously push her away is because you don't want to see her get hurt by getting close to you but in reality, I believe that she wants to become close to you so that she can prevent this academy from hurting you anymore than it already has. The older Mikan said while patting Natsume's back. The young Natsume then took a moment to think but was then engulfed by a pair of arms as the older Mikan hugged him.

"Try not to let your reputation make yourself hide your true feelings for ok. She really cares about you and I know that you really care about her ok?" The 17 year old said as she lifted her arms off him as the older Natsume and younger Mikan headed their way.

"*giggle* That was fun Natsume-kun!" The 10 year old said while clinging onto her future boyfriend's arm.

"*sigh* Yeah, fun for you." The 16 year old said to himself as a drop of sweat appeared on the back of his head.

"That's because it's always a blast to get a boy to do nice things for you," The older Mikan said while giving her younger self another high five. "Natsume how do we get back?" The older Mikan walked up to ask her Natsume.

"Now it dawns on her. Once an idiot always an idiot," The younger Natsume said.

"Don't talk to Mikan-oneesan like that!" A younger version snapped at him. The 16 year old Natsume smiled at how the two Mikans had gotten along so well. After all they were both Mikan. He felt a sudden urge to kiss her. Not the teenager. But the kid. He wanted to feel her tiny smooth lips again. And without thinking much he bent down and placed a hand on her shoulder and the other hand chining her up and pecked the little girl on lips. He smiled as he withdrew and whispered, "Thank you," Only loud enough for her to hear it. The little girl was dumbstruck to receive her first kiss from her future fiance who was right now 6 years older than her. She looked at her older oneesan for advice.

Mikan gave her a beaming smile which told her its okay. She bent and kissed her forehead as well, "Take care of him," She whispered. She walked to her kid Natsume and smiled at him, cupped his face much to his (and the future Natsume's) dismay. He wanted to snap back and yell at her but he couldn't he was frozen with...well….love. "Please don't die on her," She said as she planted a kiss on his lips and a tear escaped from her eyes knowing that he would indeed die in future, but then she saw him standing in front of her as a tall handsome 16 year old and she smiled.

"Stay strong Natsume," The 16 year old said as he held out a fist inviting his younger counterpart to a bro-fist. The younger Natsume held out his fist and accepted his older counterpart's invitation as their fist's peacefully met.

The two ten year olds were speechless. After all even in the strange and bizarre alice world it's not everyday you bump into your future selves and your future fiancés who give you your first kisses.

"You two have a knack for messing things up, don't you?" A familiar voice called out from behind.

"Paradox!" The older versions of the couples said in unison.

"What are you doing here?" Natsume asked him.

"Cleaning up your mess of course," He replied. "It wasn't easy you know. You two had almost changed the course of the future by meddling too much with your past!"

"Who's he?" The young Natsume asked.

"He's the reason we're here," His older version replied.

"He's a timetraveller. Noda sensei's friend. He's helping us sav-" Paradox interrupted Mikan,

"Spoiler alert. I think you've given them enough spoilers for today," Paradox took out his pocket watch and opened up a portal into time again, "Hop in," The grown man said.

"Aren't you coming?" Mikan asked him.

"I've got to finish some business here," Paradox replied. Mikan waved goodbye to her younger self and her kid fiancé. She was, both Mikans were, kinda teary eyed. "It's sad leaving yourself behind." She told Natsume.

"Stop being overdramatic," The older Natsume said, but deep down, he too couldn't help but feel melancholy for leaving their younger selves who they have had so much fun with tonight.

"Bye bye Mikan oneesan! Natsume-kun." Mikan waved them back as the two teenagers jumped into the window.

"Okay," Paradox turned to face the two 10 year olds. "One problem solved. One more to go," He raised his right hand. He opened his fist revealing a turquoise tainted alice stone.

"What are you doing?" Young Natsume asked as he approached them and the stone started glowing.

"Oh! don't worry kuro neko, just making sure not to create 'Paradoxes'," Paradox was nonchalant.

"Uh but what exactly is a Paradox?" Mikan asked, "The older me said we made one today but I thought that was your name!"

Natsume and Paradox sweat dropped at her ignorance.

"Don't worry about it, you won't remember a thing in a second," And saying this the stone was illuminated and before the two kids could act, their memories were erased. The entire incident about meeting up with their future selves was erased out from their minds and Paradox vanished into thin air.

"Mikan...A naive girl like you should stay in the light and out of the dark." A ten year old Natsume told the girl pestering him. But she wasn't listening to the latter half of it, she was madly blushing at the fact that he called her by her first name. Natsume finally acknowledged her name. But why was she blushing about it? It's just a name. She walked out of the bushes to enjoy the dance again, but somehow this was going to be different now. Her heart was pounding in her tiny flat chest.

"Natsume," Ruka walked in with two plates of Pastry, "That's the first time I heard you call a girl by her name," He knew his best friend well.

"It's just, because she kept bothering me!" It was strange. Natsume felt a strange sense of Deja vu. As if he had this conversation with someone before about his attitude towards Mikan and about how he hides how he really feels about her.

And the events of the Last Dance followed their normal course. Paradox managed to clean up the mess after all. God knows what paradoxes would have taken place if the two 10 year olds memories were not erased.

Before Paradox could bring the two teenagers back to their friends, he felt a pull on his sleeve. He turned, thinking that it would be Mikan, but to his surprise, it was Natsume.  
"What is it?" Paradox asked him. Natsume opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but struggled to find the words.

"There's one more place I need to go. I won't mess up time, this is supposed to happen. I remember it," Mikan looked at him with confusion. Paradox raised his eyebrow and gave Natsume an expectant look.

"Where do you want to go?" he asked. Without waiting a second, Natsume answered.

"Christmas Eve two years from now." Mikan's head shot up. What could he have possibly wanted then? Did he want to watch the two of them on a the balcony dedicating themselves to each other?

"Why?" Mikan asked. Natsume could only shake his head, his eyes begging for Paradox's approval.

"Fine, make it quick," Paradox said and they were off. Christmas Eve two years from their last stop was snowy, but the sky was clear. The air was cold and sent tiny needles into Mikan's exposed legs. As soon as their feet touched the white ground, Natsume ran. Mikan followed behind him, but Natsume warned her not to stay too close. She watched him dart off into the night, his face determined. And then she saw it.

Natsume stood a few yards away from a young boy who looked no older than twelve. His hair was shaggy, and Mikan could've sworn she saw a flash of red from his eyes. She knew that boy well. The young boy was running. His eyes were scanning his surroundings and his face looked completely desperate. It didn't take a genius to figure out what he was doing. He was looking for her. The younger twelve-year-old Natsume was looking for Mikan.

But he was going the wrong way. Suddenly, Mikan knew why Natsume was here. He knew why it was so vital that he had to come there. Natsume grabbed the younger one by his arm and stopped him. Both of their eyes were wide.

"That way," The 16 year old Natsume stated, pointing behind him. His voice dripped with honesty.

"She's that way. In the main building," The younger boy couldn't say a word, and he didn't need to. Instead, he tore his arm from the grasp of the teenager, and ran in the right direction.

Natsume walked back to Mikan and Paradox. He didn't say anything, he was breathless.

"Let's go back now," Paradox declared.

**A/N: This chapter is inspired by "time traveler's wife" I(Ed) read the book recently while I (Ed) was travelling Europe. It's a great book if you love sci-fi and romance. Next chapter is a little about Persona. (as 'rima' had asked for) **

**Also, we would like to know which chapter you guys liked the most, please mention it in your reviews ^^**

**This chapter was written by all three authors Sonic-Keyblade007, edwardelric108, and Neverlookback756.**


	14. Chapter 9: Perfect

**A/N: This is for Rima. A little something about Persona-sorry I mean Rei.**

**Chapter 9: Perfect. **

"_Sir! He has arrived, please relocate. Now!" The speaker used his laser eyes to destroy the incoming debris which would otherwise have knocked him and his boss off._

"_I am not a coward." Zagi proclaimed, "I'll face the son of a bitch!"_

"_You're foolish. Not brave," A man in his late twenties, with long black hair tied in a pony and a silver mask covering his face entered the room. He was holding Scarlet at gunpoint, as if he was holding a trophy. His fingers adorned with numerous alice controlling rings._

"_Give up Zagi!" He called out. "All your men are taken care of,"_

"_Never," Zagi wouldn't admit outright, but that man standing before him was a real deal. He had single handedly defeated all his men and even defeated Scarlet. But he was not going to let him get away that easily. "Although I have to admire your courage…..Persona…"_

"_I am not known by that name now," Rei replied._

"_Ah! I almost forgot. Atonement. How noble!" Zagi smirked, "I see you have chosen the path of righteousness. And all thanks to Yuka's daughter, right?" Rei was not in a mood to talk to this vicious man. "But don't forget something, Persona. You and I are alike. We both enjoy killing. It's our nature. That's what we are born for,"_

"_SHUT UP!" Rei was pissed off by now, "Just shut the hell up. You are wrong. I am repenting for my sins."_

"_You really think that by clearing up your old mess, your sins will be erased. How naïve," The wicked man said almost laughing._

"_I have done terrible things in past. Horrible. Even to the people I love the most. But they have forgiven me and I have decided to make this world a better place for them. I don't want them to suffer anymore. I'll bear the punishment for my sins alone, but I've been forgiven by my loved ones, that's more than enough for me. That's why I am clearing up my old mess." Saying so, he pushed Scarlet down, tired and exhausted she collapsed._

"_Aaaaa…" Zagi lunged towards Rei to attack him, Rei dodged. Even after fighting almost all the men outside and a skilled assassin, he still had strength left. Zagi took out his knife and dived for Rei's stomach, he dodged again. Rei raised his left leg and hit Zagi's wrist hard so that the knife fell off. Rei punched him. One. Twice. Rei was winning the fight. He used his long sharp nails to attack. Zagi's left cheek got a deep scratch ensuring to leave a permanent mark. Zagi touched his wound, fresh blood smeared on his fingers. _

"_Give up now." Rei asked him. _

"_You'll pay for this." Zagi was furious. He decided to use his last resort: his alice. Rei's body paralysed all of a sudden. He crouched on floor, hands tightly holding his head bursting with pain. And a piercing pain ran through his spine. It was agony. Worse than hell. _

"_AAARRRGGGHHHH…" Rei screamed out enough to be heard ten miles from the building._

"_Who's coward now, huh?" Zagi taunted him. Rei gasped for air, he closed his eyes, pictured Nobara: Standing at the threshold of their little cottage, waiting in open arms for him to return home. She stroked her slightly round stomach which was pulsating life. 'You can do it, Rei…for us…..' He could even hear her sweat melodically voice encouraging him. He clenched his fist tight, kneeled a little and then tried to stand up despite all pain._

"_Impossible!" Zagi said in astonishment, " How can you even stand with that much pain?"_

"_I have a family waiting for me at home, I will not let them down." He took tiny steps towards Zagi and tried to fasten his movements, "Aaaaa…." He grabbed Zagi's neck and did something he hadn't done in over 3 years. He used his alice. He had stopped using his corrosion alice after the alice war, he thought it was for the best. But today he had to use it to save his life. He can't die now. He has a wife and an unborn baby awaiting him back home. The pale skin of his neck turned darker, brownish and in a blink of an eye it was turning blackish purple. It was rotting, his skin. And the rot was spreading from his neck above to his face and to his torso below. He screamed in horror and pain._

_Rei was engrossed in his alice, he didn't notice Scarlet moving towards him. She grabbed him from behind and freed Zagi. As soon as the contact broke, the black rot ceased to spread and the already present marks faded a little to blackish brown. Zagi gasped for air. So did Rei as Scarlet held tight onto his neck. He tried his best and moved his hands to touch her and started to rot her hand. She quickly withdrew._

"_You son of a bitch!" She yelled as she felt the burning sensation from her rotten hand. Rei grabbed the chance to escape. He was not a coward, but he wasn't a fool either. It was two against one. Not wise choice if he wanted to live for his family. "You'll pay for this Persona! I swear." Zagi yelled at him in anger._

"Woaa….aaa…..Whoaa….."

Rei woke up with a start. Glanced at the clock: 4:58 AM. He walked over to the crib place beside his wife's side of bed. She woke up simultaneously. He signaled her to go back to sleep as he took their son in his arms and cradled him. "Hush now….daddy's here…..shhh…." He rocked his beloved son. He knew his father's warm touch well. He stopped crying. But refused to go back to sleep. He probably wants to play around with his daddy.

"Rei…" Nobara said concerned about her husband. He felt her cold small hands wrap around his waist from behind. "You're sweating. Heavily. Everything alright?" He turned to face her. She was still so innocent and small even at 19. Her wavy blue hair falling carelessly on her forehead. She reached out for their baby from his arms.

"I got this," He insisted as he tightened his grip on the child, "You should go back to sleep. " And he continued cradling the baby.

"Rei…" She touched his face gently, caressing it slowly, " Another nightmare?" She knew him so well. He didn't like lying to her. So he nodded in agreement. Silence was broken by the baby's resumed crying.

"Wooaa…aaa….Woooaaaaaaaaa….."

"He's hungry." Nobara stated. Mother's instincts. Rei handed him over to her, she unbuttoned her blouse and nursed the baby. He hungrily sucked onto his mother. "What was it about?" She asked as she sat down comfortably.

"Nothing for you to worry about." He sat beside her and placed an arm around her. A perfect family. Something he always wanted. Something his Izumi sensei and Yuka sempai wanted as well. But their dream remained a dream forever. But their kids will definitely live in a better world.

"Rei?" She snapped him out of his musing. "You don't have to bear the sins of your past alone. I am here to share it with you. The pain. The fear. Everything. Remember our vows?"

'_I,Nobara Ibaragi, take Rei Serio to be my lawfully wedded husband, to love and to cherish, for better and for worse, in sickness and in good health, for past and for your future, for richer and for poorer; until death do us apart.'_

Yes, he remembered every word she spoke in front of the priest that day. How can he forget? He smiled at her, stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. "Rei!" She was a persistent girl.

"Nothing, just a dream about this fight with an AAO boss about a year ago." He confessed. She smiled at her victory. She took a look at their baby, for it had stopped sucking now. It was sleeping soundly in his mother's arms. She kissed his eyelids carefully and placed him back in his crib. Rei was already lying in bed by the time she finished buttoning her blouse up. She snuggled beside him, feeling his warmth, and closed her eyes.

Before sleep waved its magic on the two she managed to say, "Rei….I don't want you to involve in such missions now…..for my sake…..for Izumi's sake….promise me…." He nodded. His life was perfect right now.

He would do anything for their sake. Izumi was his precious baby. They had a hard time conceiving, probably due to his alice. Not to mention the rough times he put Nobara through. He regretted it. Two painful miscarriages. Nobara was indeed a strong woman, surviving the mental and physical pain. The first time she was all alone in house, and she was bleeding profusely and next thing they knew was their baby was gone. The next time, he woke her up from sleep. He woke up in middle of night feeling wet and was horrified to see the blood soaked sheets. What had he done to her? They both cried arms in arms the whole night.

'_Let's give up now. It's okay. The two of us can be a perfect family too you know.' He had told her._

'_No….' She sobbed, 'Rei…..let's not give up….'_

'_Nobara…..please….don't….I don't want you to get hurt anymore…look at you…..you're exhausted…'_

'_Rei…..please….I am strong…I can do it…..We can do it.' She said with determination in her eyes. He sighed and gave in her argument. Not long after they were blessed with another child. This time to their joy it survived full term. Rei was the happiest man on earth the day his son was born. He was scared at the thought of being a father, for his had abandoned him; but he looked up to Izumi sensei as a fatherly figure. He decided that he'd raise his kid how his sensei raised him. He clearly remembered the day his son was born. So tiny. So fragile. So innocent. He felt his heart melt at the very sight._

'_I told you we can do it.' Nobara reminded him. He smiled at her as she handed him their son. He gently took him in his arms. So soft. He held his son's tiny hands and cradled him. Tears flowed uncontrollably out of his eyes. Nobara cried at the sight as well. The three embraced. Now that was a perfect family._

"_Welcome to the world, Izumi Rei Serio." Nobara whispered in her son's tiny ears. All was perfect. _

"Really? That's great we'll be there. Right. Okay." Tsubasa placed the handset in the charger,

"Misaki!" Tsubasa shouted.

"What?" Her irritated reply came, "I am trying to cook without burning. Don't distract me,"

"They're back!" He yelled in joy. He heard the clang and bang of the utensils slipping through her fingers. She ran into the front room from the kitchen. "Really? Even Hotaru?" Her eyes were beaming with joy.

"Yes, both Hotaru and Subaru with the rest three." He confirmed.

"That's great!" she hugged him in joy. "There are all in Academy. The Imai sibling are recovering in the hospital. "

"It's Mikan's first time in there after her memories got erased right?"

"Yeah. And they're having this welcome back party. We're invited," Tsubasa said.

"Eeppp…" His fiancé yelped in joy. The thought of meeting everyone again in Academy, just like old times, made her jump in joy." Kinda like an alumni reunion right?"

"Yeah," She hugged him. "I am so glad everything's back to normal now." She hugged him tighter. Finally everything's perfect.

"This is bad," Kenji muttered as he shivered and shook violently. He wrapped his arms around himself, curling himself like a puppy. He clutched the bed-sheets tightly in his fists. The two blankets covering him did not warm him up. He felt a cold wet liquid drip from his nose. It definitely wasn't mucus. He touched it and it revealed itself to be blood.

"Oh no! This is very bad." He exclaimed in fear. He knew that his epistaxis, was a bad sign. His fever was bad, he often ran high temperatures if he used his alice for more than an hour. But the nosebleed are worse. It means he had used up a LOT of his alice. He had been going on frequent visits throughout Tokyo since past few weeks, examining memories of almost any person remotely linked to their target. There was however no news about them since the day they disappeared in the time void. That was some work. He indeed had used quite a lot of his alice. They had to get to know the targets location soon. There was no luck so far. Kenji had to withdraw his mission when he suddenly fell unconscious one day while reading an old man's memories.

"You need to toughen up brat." A familiar cold voice called out from behind.

"Scarlet!" Kenji responded.

"Here." She handed him over a bottle containing pills, "Osoujisama has sent these for you. The fever will subside with it." He grabbed the bottle and popped in two pills.

"Easy there, tiger." Scarlet teased him, "Get better soon. We're expecting guests." He gave her a baffled look.

"I am going to the Academy, to get _her_." She hinted.

"They're back?" He sounded half surprised and half excited.

"Yeah. We got other intel sources besides you, sweetie," She winked at him. He blushed like a silly little boy. Scarlet's flirty ways always made him embarrassed. Scarlet smiled at the fact that how very meek the 13 year old kid was. "Get rest brat." And she walked out. She walked out thinking about their perfect plan.

Everything was perfect for everyone at the moment. Yes, perfectly on its way to imperfection.

**A/N: This chapter was mainly written to show what the other characters have been up to while Mikan and Natsume were on their trip through time. Hope you guys liked it.**

**This chapter was written by edwardelric108 and edited by Sonic-Keyblade007 and Neverlookback756.**


	15. Chapter 10 (Part 1): Tomoka Kusoniki

**A/N: This chapter will help you understand Scarlet better. Her past linked to her present. How she got obsessed with the boss. This chapter is rated T+ for slight sexual content. Not suitable for kids below 16. Read at your own discretion. **

**Chapter 10 (Part 1): Tomoka Kusoniki**

There was never a more cheerful morning. A petite girl with her red hair neatly cut into pixie look, walked into the classroom. Her shirt barely reached up to her mid-waist, evidently made shorter for attention. With the tie conveniently absent, first two buttons of her blouse undone showing off a hint of her cleavage. Three alice controlling devices pierced her right ear lobe and another one adorned her left hand in the form of a bracelet. She looked more mature for her age, but that was because she indeed was. Doing missions in the dangerous ability class exposes you to the harsh realities of life, and age wasn't a limitation.

Tomoka Kusoniki was 13 and a half, yet she understood about the outside world better than any of the students older than her. As she walked towards her seat, one of the boys flipped up her skirt, but before he look get a look at what he wanted, his face met with a fist.

"Perv," she muttered as she walked to her seat. The victim on her fist sat with a blood soaked tissue to his nose.

"That's what you get from messing with a Dangerous Ability," his friend mocked him as he helped him stand up.

"Settle down people," Narumi announced as he entered the room. He started his boring lecture and as usual Kusoniki dozed off.

* * *

"_Tomoka-chan!" A small boy of about six years called out to her, vehemently waving his hand_ _to show off his new watch to his best friend. "See what Otousan sent for my birthday. A cool watch, isn't it?" _

"_Wow, Haru-kun!" The six-year-old Kusoniki explained. "It really _is_ cool."_

"_Ne, Tomoka-chan," he said with a serious expression. "Is it true that you are being transferred to Dangerous Abilities?" He shook in fear as he spoke the last two words._

"_Huh? Where did you hear such silly rumors?" Kusoniki asked him._

"_Everyone's talking about it," he reached out her hand and comforted her. "Tomoka-chan I'm worried about you."_

"_Don't worry Haru-kun, I'll be just fine," she gave him a huge smile and a warm hug. _

* * *

"Kusoniki. Report to the DA HQ," A voice on the intercom speaker interrupted her sweet dream. She knew the voice well. It was his voice. The pixie haired girl stood up and walked out of the class, the whispers didn't stop even after her exit. Narumi had to quiet the class up.

"I heard Kusoniki does the missions which even the senior division students fail at," one student whispered.

"No way!" Another student replied.

"Yeah, the other day a senpai was talking about it. He said she's the best they've got in DA right now."

"I heard she's a murderer."

"Of course she is. There's no doubt about it. Have you seen the aura she emits? It's like she was born to kill."

"I also heard she's really hot in bed too," one of the boys chuckled.

"Yeah she's been with almost every senior division student I know of."

"That's enough talk on Tomoka Kusoniki!" Narumi warned them, "Focus on the lesson!"

* * *

"Hand over that blueprint now!" Kusoniki said as she grabbed the neck of her victim.

"It...it's...in...the la...lab," he managed to speak out as he choked. She hurled him on the floor, kicked him hard on his stomach just when he landed on the ground. He winced in pain. She took out her gun and pointed it at him. "Please I told you what you needed. Please let me go," he begged. She pulled the trigger without even considering his request. He was dead. She truly was merciless. She observed his looks carefully and morphed herself in his likeness. She then walked into the laboratory.

"Dr. Fujiwara," A lab technician greeted her. He was completely unaware that the man in front of him was not but a girl who was about to end his life.

"The blueprints for the Alice Project," She demanded. She was stern and demanding. never talked that way to him. He was confused.

"Sir?" He asked her again.

"I said the blueprints!" She had lost her patience. She took out her gun and threatened him. The poor fellow opened the safe using his keys. The keys slipped from his trembling hands. "Faster, you son of a bitch!" Kusoniki hit him hard. He managed to open it for her. She snatched the blueprints titled "Project Alice." She double checked it. Yes, it was the object she was sent to retrieve on her mission. She zipped open her jacket and kept the papers in there.

The technician took the opportunity to run for his life, but he couldn't even make it to the door. She was sharp, agile and fast. She knew well that no witnesses should ever escape. That was a rule which every DA student was well aware of. The last blurred images technician saw, was turn into a red haired girl, walking victoriously out of the lab.

* * *

"Here," she said as she flung the blueprints on Persona's desk later that evening.

"Impressive as always. You finished the mission faster than I expected," Persona said.

"Yeah. Piece of cake," she said as she flipped her hair. "I'll be needing a new supplies of bullets."

"Done," Persona assured her. "Take a night's rest. I want you ready for tomorrow's mission."

"Whatever," She mumbled as she walked out. Persona knew well she wasn't gonna "rest" that night. She never did. She would prefer doing something else. Something more enjoyable than sleeping. It was her routine after almost every mission.

* * *

"You seem very busy these days Kusoniki," Said a blond middle division student as he unhooked her bra. "We barely met this week."

"Missions. Can't help it senpai," she told him, though he was too busy to listen to her answer. He was trailing a path of wet hot kisses all over her back. She moaned as he bit her nape. He turned her, to face him, he wanted to see her face when he sucked onto her. He continued doing what he was best at. She moaned in pleasure as he went further downwards.

_**FLASHBACK:**_

"_Tomoka! I have liked you ever since we were kids," Haru was standing at her window holding her hand. _

"_Haru..." she touched his face, caressing his cheek softly. "I..I..like you too..." Tears of joy rolled down the cheeks of the 11 year old Scarlet. "I always have..."_

"_So will you be my girlfriend?" She nodded in agreement. _

"_Now stop crying, you baka!" He wiped off her tears. And leaned in slowly to give the 11 year old her first kiss. The two were smiling like idiots. And so the childhood friends turned to lovers. _

_A knock on Tomoka's dorm door broke the two apart. "Bedtime. Lights out," Takahashi, the robotic matron said. _

"_I should probably go." Haru gave a peek on her cheek and jumped off. Giving the three star room a last glance he went back to his dorm._

* * *

She woke up with a start. Glanced at the clock. It was barely five in the morning. Kusoniki sneaked out of the boy's bed. He was too busy snoring. She put on his shirt, for he had torn hers last night, and walked out. She slipped out without even making a slightest bit of noise, which in the end wasn't too difficult for her.

She sighed as she laid down on her king size bed in her special star room. Threw aside the shirt, which landed on the floor scattered with books, clothes and bits of snack food. She snuggled into her warm cozy blanket and closed her eyes for the little sleep she needed.

* * *

"Kusoniki's back?" A young male student asked.

"Yup, she was with me last night," his blonde friend assured him.

"You dog!" His friend hit him jokingly on his head. "You could have called me. I wanted to meet the Legendary Kusoniki."

"Well, she barged into my room at around 8 last night and started 'attacking' me. The next thing I remember is waking up naked in my bed today morning," he smirked.

"Introduce me to her next time. It's not fair that you have all the fun," his friend complained.

"That was the first time I'd seen her all week. She's very busy these days. Missions and stuff."

"Is that all she ever does? Missions and screwing?" His friend wondered.

"She's strange. She's 13 but she sure is good in bed. I heard she's a badass of a fighter, too."

"The best in Dangerous Abilities. Almost as good as Persona. Some say even better." His friend added.

"Persona?" A tall guy with shoulder length straight black hair joined the conversation, "Why are we talking about the Dangerous Abilities all of a sudden?" He questioned his two friends.

"Yo! Tono what's up man!" The blonde gave him a high five. So did the other guy.

"Yo! Ken! Shinji. Why the sudden interest in DA?"

"It's not DA, its Kusoniki we're talking about," the blonde guy, Kazu replied.

"Kusoniki?" Tono questioned.

"Don't tell me a player like you doesn't know who Tomoka Kusoniki is?" Shinji smacked him in a friendly manner. "Kusoniki,13 years old. A first year junior division. Class 1-B. Currently best DA member in the Academy and apparently hottest in bed too."

"I'm really not into younger girls you know," Tono joked.

"Shut up man," Kazu said. "We all know that you don't care at all about age. "Kazu showed him a picture of Scarlet he had in his cell phone.

"She seems interesting," Tono said as he examined the photo closely, observing all her curves and crevices. "Very interesting."

* * *

It was five in evening and the last bell for the day echoed in the hallways outside the empty Class 1-B. It wasn't completely empty actually. A certain red haired girl was packing up her bag and preparing to leave. She had the cleaning duty this week, so she was the last one to leave the class. As if missions weren't enough, to deal with and she was given another stinking job.

"Tomoka Kusoniki," she looked at the class door and saw her sempai blocking the exit.

"Akira Tonochi," she greeted coldly. He walked towards her, while loosening up his tie.

"You know my name. Gotta say I am getting more and more impressed," he smirked, cornering her towards the wall as he spoke.

"What do you want?" She was in no mood of wasting her time.

"Relax, baby," he drawled as he caged her, raised her chin towards his face and narrowed the distance between them.

"Piss off man!" She pushed him away. "I'm really tired, okay?"

"Well then this should be a stress buster for you then." He was persistent. He grabbed her hand and caught her in his embrace. Before she could protest further he smashed his lips onto hers. She struggled at first, but he had a charm which she couldn't resist. Tono was a great kisser, after all. She gave in. And the two began devouring each. Hungrily. They kissed each other's throat with their tongues. Gasping for air, they parted.

"I knew you'd enjoy it," he said messing with her hair.

"Shut up," she muttered while getting rid of his tie all together and proceeded to get rid of his belt. He on the other hand was caressing her smooth well-toned thighs, her extra short shirt made it easier for him to do that. His hands made their way up, to the rim of her skirt which he soon disposed of, revealing her sexy panties.

"Nice choice," he admired the underwear of the 13 year old.

"Your's too," she smirked at his briefs. Only then did he realize that his pants were long gone, he was so absorbed in admiring her thighs he didn't notice her undoing his pants.

"You've already done the first two for me, how thoughtful," he thanked her for having her first two buttons already undone. He continued the job by undoing the rest. After it was done the shirt was tossed off and it probably landed on one of the benches. He started alternately kissing and nibbling her soft skin. She moaned in pleasure. She didn't want to admit it to him, but Tono was the best she'd ever done. He got rid of her black lacy bra and continued what he was doing, at the same time he slowly laid her down on the freshly cleaned floor down. "You have an amazing body Kusoniki. Best ever in my opinion." Tono said as Kusoniki mentally thanked herself of cleaning the floor earlier. And the two went on and on all the way...

* * *

_**FLASHBACK:**_

"_Let's grab some fluff puffs." Kusoniki literally pulled Haru's sleeve._

"_Yeah..Yeah...calm down," her boyfriend said. "I can't understand your fetish for this awful cotton stuff."_

"_Hey don't call it just some 'cotton stuff'. It's fluff puff and its cute and sweet," she said as she reached the shop. "Hmmm…"That's delicious. She said as she ate her first piece. _

"_Hey check it out its Haruko and Tomoka!" A group of junior division school boys arrived at the spot._

"_Hey guys," Haru greeted them. Kusoniki gave them a distasteful look. They looked like punks._

"_Aren't you going to greet us missy?" A tall boy asked._

"_Yeah it's rude not to greet your boyfriend's pals" his friend supported. Kusoniki gave Haru a hard look. He looked away._

"_I hate delinquents," she got angry and stormed off as she stepped onto one of the guys shoes on purpose._

"_Hey!" He yelled out._

"_Your girl's quite a fire Haru!" His friends teased him. _

"_Speaking of fire…." Another one elbowed him, "Tell us about her in bed," _

"_Yeah man! I bet she's really good!"_

"_I...I-I don't know….we haven't…"_

"_Don't tell me that. You've known her since like preschool, still you haven't done it with her?" _

"_But-" Haru tried to protest._

"_Tch, and your call yourself cool?" The tall guy said._

"_Yeah man! I can't believe I'm a friend with this uncool virgin," _

_Haruko looked down in despair. He wanted to fit in this 'cool' gang, but how? _

_Kusoniki watched the entire incident from afar hoping Haru wouldn't fall in their trap. She closed her eyes…._

* * *

**One year later. Kusoniki:14 Tono:16**

Kusoniki opened her eyes."Good morning," Tono yawned as he leaned and planted a kiss on her lips. She woke up with the kiss.

"'Morning Tono-senpai," Kusoniki greeted him, rubbing her eyes. Her shoulder length red locks were messy from the steamy night she had. She had grown her hair over the year. Tono suggested it to her. She got up from the bed, stark naked and started fishing for her clothes in the mess on the floor, not bothering to even wrap a blanket around her body. She found her panties on the floor beneath the bed, she got up and slid her smooth legs in.

Usually she leaves way before the guy wakes up, but it's different with Tono. He'd told her once, "Tomoka, I don't like to wake up alone in bed after having such a lovely time with you the previous night," so she'd always stay till he woke up. She had gotten a lot closer to him in last one year. They were both very similar after all. He was her favorite sempai.

"Over there," Tono pointed out her bra for her, which rested on his study table.

"Thanks, Senpai," Kusoniki replied. Tono winked. She dressed up perfectly, so perfectly that no one could make out that she just had hot sex last night, after all she was an expert at this.

She picked up her bag and made her way to the door.

"Hey! Tomoka don't forget your keys," Tono reminded her. Last mo he'd given her spare keys to his room.

"Oh! Shit I totally forgot about those, where are they?" Kusoniki said with a worried expression on her face. Tono smirked as he jingled the keys in his hands.

"Sempai!" She lunged for them. He dodged.

"After another round, okay?" He whispered in her ears.

"What? Are you out of your mind? We'll be late for breakfast, you dumbass!" She was right.

"Besides don't you have to study? You've your finals coming up. If you flunk you'll never make it to high school next year!" He grabbed her and tossed her on bed. Him on top of her.

"Relax babe," he said tasting her neck which still was fresh, even after last night. "I didn't get those freaking triple stars for nothing. Your Tono-senpai's a genius," he started undressing her.

"You're impossible sempai," she muttered. "You've told me earlier, I wouldn't have gone through the trouble of dressing up again, you know. Ahhh...Sempai!..." He had just left a hickey on inside of her thigh.

"But I just love undressing you...To-mo-ka..."

* * *

"I told you we'd be late for breakfast," Kusoniki complained as she entered the cafeteria to find all the counters empty. Thanks to a certain someone they arrived past the breakfast time and it was cleared up. "And I'm starving," she complained.

"I just had the best breakfast ever back in my room," he joked.

"You're hopeless," she smacked him friendly.

"_Kusoniki report to DA immediately," the_ intercom announced. She sighed. Probably another damn mission.

"That's my cue. Gotta go. See ya," she said as she ran down the hallway.

"Yeah. Call me when you get back," he waved. He knew she'd come first to his room, after she returned.

* * *

"Your mission for today: the AAO. We've observed their activity since a long time now. Their boss it seems is a clone of the ESP, but he's out of our control. Your mission today is to sneak into AAO southern HQ located near a warehouse in south of Tokyo. That division is under control of a man named Zagi. He has the pain inflicting alice. Be careful I heard he's one of the strongest members of AAO. We want you to find out about 'that woman'. She was last spotted at this HQ with her 'partner'. We're suspecting she has made a pact with AAO. Capture Zagi and find out about it. Got it?" Persona was never this precise in describing a mission for her. This must be important. Persona's trying to get his hands on 'that woman' for a while now. Kusaniki wondered just how important 'that woman' must be for the ESP.

'But doesn't he already have that Luna bitch serving his ass. Then what does he want 'her' for?' She wondered as she walked out of the gates. She gave a one last glance at the Academy before sitting in the car. She never knew that this was the last time she'd ever see the academy as a student. Next time she'd be coming to these gates, she wouldn't be a student, but a something far different.

**What dark path may await Tomoka Kusoniki? Stay tuned to find out.**

**This chapter was written by edwardelric108 and Neverlookback756, and then edited by Sonic-Keyblade007.**


	16. Chapter 10 (Part 2): Scarlet

**Chapter 10 (Part 2): Scarlet**

"Hey, go get my lunch tray," Tono ordered a junior bespectacled guy.

"I am not your slave, Tono. Your threats don't work anymore. I am fifteen you know." Subaru exclaimed.

"Tch. Whatever. Brat!" Tono said as he went to fetch the tray himself.

"He's just taking out all his frustration on you." Ken said as he brought his lunch to the table.

"Yeah. His frustration about his little girlfriend," Shinji added

"What girlfriend?" Tono said. He was back with a tray packed with food, after all he did miss breakfast.

"Oh! Don't act dumb. You know whom we are talking about," Sakurano joined in.

"Kusoniki?" Tono almost choked on his juice upon hearing this. He burst out laughing.

"Really? You think she's my girlfriend! Ohhoohohoh...hahaha..." He controlled his laughter.

"You guys are always on doing it. Why wouldn't everyone think she's your girlfriend. I even saw her sneak into boys dormitory last night. I followed her and she had the key- mind you- the key to his room. " Ken laid down all proof like a detective ready to prove Tono guilty of dating Kusoniki secretly.

"So? Big deal. Look Tomoka and I are just friends. Friends with benefits. She enjoys my company and I hers. There's nothing more to it. "

"Ah! So now we are on first name basis." Shinji teased.

"Shut up!" Tono angrily replied.

"I heard Persona sent her on a very tough mission." Subaru declared.

"She'll do it. She always does. It's no big deal for her. I know it," Tono had completed one sandwich at this point. _'Come back safely Tomoka' _ He mentally prayed.

* * *

The last of the security guards outside dropped on floor as he received a blow from Kusoniki. She jumped up and climbed the wall and carefully tiptoed to find a cover. Once she found it she morphed into one of the guards she hauled outside and walked confidently inside the warehouse.

"I am here to deliver a message for Zagi," she announced when another guard stoped her from entering the warehouse.

"This way," He turned back to led the way. She hit his neck , knocking him down. Unfortunately another guard saw this, "HEY! YOU!" He shouted.

"Shit!" She cursed under her breathed. She changed back to her form and started fighting the incoming attacks. She drew out her gun and down went the guards one by one. She single handedly took down at least 6 of the guards. She was about to shoot another one, when her body was suddenly paralysed. And a sting of unbearable pain ran through her entire body. Everything hurt: Her head, her ears, her eyes, her hands, her stomach, her legs...It was like a thousand daggers were driven through her body at the same time.

"_AAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!_" She yelled as the gun slipped from her hands.

A tall man, clad in black, with silver hair and eyes as deep and dark as the depth of a forest. "Does that hurt now? I wasn't even getting started." He walked closer, looked around, "My, my, what a mess you've created here," she dropped flat on the floor, he had stopped using his alice for a while now. She gasped for air, she clenched her chest.

"A little girl taking down almost half my crew single handedly. Admirable indeed." He bent down, grabbed her hair and raised her. She glared at him. "You sure are one fierce girl now." She frowned. She clenched her fist ready to hit him, but he caught it.

"Boss!" His other minions were ready to aid him, he signalled them to stop.

"I'll handle her," he took her chin and examined her closely, "You're one interesting girl now. I could use someone like you. Join us," he offered her a hand. She wasn't sent here to join the AAO, she was supposed to retrieve information on 'that woman' and her partner. That was her mission.

"And why do you think I'll do that?" She gathered rest of her energy to stand up.

"Because, I know how cruelly the Academy treats you. You'll fight me, extract whatever you want from me and give it to Persona, right? But what will you get in return. No love. No support. No family. You'll be branded as a murderer." She was dumbstruck. It was as if he knew exactly what she was going through. "Ah! I'm right, aren't I?" Zagi said as he examined that look on her face.

"Join me. And take pleasure in destroying the one thing that has made your life miserable," he stretched out his hand in alliance. Maybe it was security, or it was safety or even sympathy, she didn't know why but she accepted the offer and joined AAO.

* * *

'_Bang' 'Bang' 'Bang' _Kusoniki hit the bullseye three times in a row.

"Impressive," Zagi clapped as he walked in. She blushed slightly. What was wrong, she never blushed? "It's just yesterday when you joined us and yet you are out here practicing today. I was right in recruiting you," she blushed harder. "How old are you?"

"14," Kusoniki replied.

"Unbelievable. You have a fine body of a 18 year old," he said as he ran his hands over her shoulders, "So your name again?"

"Tomoka Kusoniki." He played with her hair, twirling and twisting it as he pleased. Her heart was pounding the whole time. Seriously what was wrong with her? Why was she behaving like a typical girl?

"I'll call you 'Scarlet' after your hair. I like it," he smelled it as he said so. "Exquisite,"

"I'd love to be called that by you Osoujisama," she bowed down trying to hide her blush.

"Keep practicing," Zagi replied.

* * *

Persona was anxiously tapping the table with his long fingernails it has been a week since Kusoniki was sent on a mission to retrieve data on Yuka Azumi and Shiki. She never took more than three days on any mission, no matter how tough it was. This could only mean: either she was captured or she was dead. On the other hand ESP was getting anxious and wanted to capture Yuka as soon as he could. Persona looked at the photographs lying on the table, he scanned them, a raven haired boy with crimson eyes caught his attention, he drew out his photo.

'**Natsume Hyuuga. Age: 9. Alice: Fire.'** The card read. He found the replacement of Kusoniki. That boy would take her place and do the missions, just like his mother.

* * *

**Two year later. Scarlet: 16. Boss: 24. **

"That Kuro Neko is being a pain in ass," Zagi paced up and down in the HQ, "He has destroyed four of my hideouts in past 6 months and not to mention I barely escaped the last assault. He's hell bent on destroying us!" Zagi shouted. Kusoniki noticed the boss getting anxious.

"Allow me, Osoujisama. I'll take care of the boy when the time comes," Scarlet said.

"I trust you with that." He told her. "When the time comes, I want you to take him down. Permanently," she bowed in response showing that she would fulfil it whenever that was required.

"Rise." She stood up. Zagi was standing before her with a photograph of a little kid, not older than six. He had messed up dark raven hair and chocolate eyes hidden behind his old shabby glasses. She almost mistook him for Kuro Neko, but the boy was younger and had hazel eyes not crimson," that, Scarlet, is your next mission." He handed her the photograph, "Kenji Yukimura. He's on a run. He posses a very rare and important alice I am after, Memory Manipulation. I want you to get to him, before the Academy does. We cannot afford to lose a gem like him to Academy. Kidnap him, talk to him, or whatever it takes, and bring him here. Got it?" Zagi stated.

"Sir," she said and went off to prepare for the mission.

And she set off to accomplish her mission. She had to prove herself to her Osoujisama. It was her first true mission since she joined AAO, she had spent the entire year training. True that she already was a well trained DA member, but the training she received from her Osoujisama in person was something entirely different. She learnt how to counter attack alices now that she was going to fight alices and not just regular people like she did on her DA missions. Various devices like Alice Extraction Gun, Alice tracing machine, Alice mimicking Bracelet and various such devices she never used as a DA member. She had spent the entire year close to _him. _She knew practically everything about him now. The more she got to know him, the more she started liking him. Adoring him. Worshipping the ground under him. Everyone in the HQ knew that she was obsessed with him, including him.

Kusoniki Tomoka was long forgotten, she made a point that everyone addressed her as 'Scarlet'. After all it was the name _her_ Osoujisama had bestowed upon her. She was Scarlet, an AAO member.

She got down on the platform, the sign read 'Hikarikaoka'. that was the place the boy was hiding. At least that's what the intel at HQ had informed her. She started looking for the Kenji boy in dark streets and abandoned warehouses, perfect hiding places. She knew finding him was like finding a needle in a haystack.

* * *

Exhausted from the wild goose chase, she sat on the park bench sipping the coke she just bought. That kid sure was an expert at hiding. She relaxed a bit and closed her eyes. Sleep embraced her soon after and she dozed off.

_**FLASHBACK:**_

_Haru pulled her closer to him so that he could deepen the kiss, a move his older friends had taught him. He was being rough, very rough. Haru was always gentle, what had gotten into him? She was uncomfortable. She tried to push him away. _

"_Haru, stop, you're hur-" He captured her mouth once again, not allowing her to finish her sentence. She closed her eyes tight. He let her go only when he felt the need for breathing. He panted heavily. _

"_What's gotten into you?" She was angry, eyes red with anger and tears?_

"_You're my girlfriend." He defended._

"_So?" She crossed her arms._

"_That's your problem Tomoka? You act like a nun."_

"_It's them isn't it?" She knew it from the start, "Those boys from central town the other day. Haru they're a bad influence on you. Don't hang out with them. They're filling your head with nonsense!"_

"_No they are not!" He protested, "You know half the people in our class have done it already. And we've been dating since over a year and we've known each other since like kindergarten yet here we are." She couldn't believe what he was saying. Where was her sweet childhood friend? The boy in front of her was a mutated hormonal teenager she didn't know. "You know they're spreading weird rumours about me because of you."_

"_Why do you care so much about what others say?" He didn't listen to her. He had made up his mind today. He pushed her down, grabbed her hands and hovered her._

"_Haru sto-" He smashed his lips on hers, not allowing her to even breathe. She tried her best to struggle out, but his grip was firm, her hands hurt. He released her mouth to move downwards._

"_Stop..Ahhh...Hmm...Ahhhh...Ha...Ahh...ru…." She said between her moans as he bit, sucked and kissed her nape, the exposed skin on her chest. He continued to ignore her. She had never been touched like that before, she never knew she could make such sounds in the first place. Her hands were really hurting. So was her head. She had to stop this madness. She kicked him hard. _

"_Argh!" He yelled in pain. He crouched as he grabbed his stomach. She took his face in her hands and slapped him. And stormed off to her dorm. _

* * *

She suddenly woke up from the nightmare. She looked at the clock, she had taken a short 15 minute nap. Short but deep one indeed. She looked around the park loads and loads of kids playing. Something caught her eye: A tiny kid hiding meekingly under a slide. That's him. There he was. Of course he's a kid, he would naturally prefer to hide in a playground. How simple minded kids are. She dashed for him. He saw her. Panic seized him. He stood up and started to run.

"Hey! Come back here you little brat!" She yelled. She was naturally faster than him. Well trained and all, so she caught up to him in no time. "You gave me a hell of a day kid!" She told him when she roughly grabbed him by his arm.

"Pl-Plea-Please don't send me back to my parents…..I...beg….you…" He was crying the whole time. Anyone could tell he spent most of his time crying, his cheeks were wet with tears, eyes red with exhaustion.

"Don't worry brat. We aren't going to your home. You, are coming with me."

"Where to?" He asked in between his sobs.

"You'll see," She was getting irritated with all the crying and sobbing. "Now stop crying and man up!" He was scared of her demonic aura. He tried his best to seize his sobs. He was glad he wasn't going home. He didn't care where that woman would take him, but he was sure that it was some place where he was wanted. Where he would fit in. As a 'normal person' and not a 'freak' as he was branded back home.

* * *

_**FLASHBACK:**_

_Six hadn't spoken in six weeks since that incident. She was upset with him and he was angry with her. But that day she decided to talk to him about it and sort out their issues. Despite that day's incident, he was still Haru, her childhood friend, her first crush, her first love. The two of them always went through the thick and thin together. Both were from the same town, entered the Academy together, he supported her a lot with her missions and stuff. They surely can get over this problem as well. _

_She stood outside his two star room, knocked once, no response. She knocked twice. Silence again. "Haru?" Silence again. She took out the spare key of his room and opened the door. Walked in. His sneakers were there in shoe rack, so he was in his dorm. And wait: a pair of high heels caught her eye. What the heck? _

"_Haru?" She called out again. "Haruko !" She walked further in towards his room. _

"_Ahh...hmmm...yes…." she heard faint sounds as she approached his bedroom. _

"_Ahhhhhhh…..Ha..ru...ko..Hmm…" she was pretty sure she was hearing moans now. She frowned, what was going on? She stood there outside his room. Frozen. _

"_You're so goood...AHHHH…...ohhhh….ummm...Haru...ko..Haruko- kun...ummm….Haruko….'_

_The door was slightly ajar, permitting only the view of the edge of the bed to be viewed, she could see a pink lacy panty lying at the edge. _

"_ru….ko-kun….Ahhhh…Haruko...Haruko..Ha..." She didn't want to hear anymore. She was moaning his name again and again and again. It was really tormenting. Tears were uncontrollably flowing out of her eyes. She opened the door. And saw what she expected to see._

_There he was. Stark naked on top of the naked girl. His clothes lying scattered all over the room. Her bra lying right beside her feet. The bed sheets all crumpled, wet and disoriented. The girl was covered in number of hickeys. She stared at them and then looked at her wrist: faint bruise rested on her wrist. That day, six weeks ago, he had left a dark purple bruise at her wrist, thanks to his tight grip, it had faded by now but not completely gone. She looked closely at the girl. She recognised her, she was Amiko Takeshi, a sempai from the senior division. Her Haru was having sex with a senior girl! This was too much to take for her. _

"_Haru! How could you?" She yelled at him, "I thought you..you..loved me….." she sobbed._

"_Hey! Kid! Have you no manner? Don't just storm into someone's bedroom like that. It's rude!" Amiko told her._

"_Sempai, don't," Haru stopped her, he turned to Kusoniki and said " What do you want Tomoka?"_

"_I hate you!" She screamed at him, "I want you to stay away from me. Forever," And she stormed off, slamming the door behind her._

"_Shall we continue from where we left off, thanks to that bitch?" She thought she heard that line as she was moving out, but she didn't care now. She didn't care about anyone now. The one person she cared about had betrayed her, she was done with people now. She was done. _

She woke up in middle of night, looked around. No clothes on her. Typical. An unfamiliar place. She turned to see a guy-naked of course-lying on his back beside her. She must have drank too much last night, she had no recollection of what happened that night or what was that idiot's name. Mostly she doesn't even bother. She stood up, shabbily dressed up and went over to the next room, where she found the kid sleeping on the couch. She shook him up. "Let's go,"

"But it's middle of night," Kenji said rubbing his eyes.

"Perfect time to slip into HQ unnoticed." She replied. He followed her, to what would be a new life for him.

* * *

"I am proud of you Scarlet. You've done well," Zagi greeted her the following morning. She blushed brightly. Kenji noticed it and wondered at the change in the woman. Just last night she was all haughty and drunk and here she was blushing.

"Anything for you Osoujisama," She bowed in respect.

"I am glad I took you in that day. You really are an asset for me," he announced. Kenji knew there was something going on underneath all the polite talk. Those two were being awfully polite to each other, but it seemed forced. Zagi turned to the boy and said, "Welcome to the AAO, my son,"

"Th-thank you," he said meekly, he was kinda scared of the big man. Every few second, Zagi's eyes would flash from Kenji, to Scarlet. His eyes would devour some other part of her body for a split second, in this case her waist, and go back to Kenji.

"Don't worry, kid. No one will mistreat you here. We're all alices here. No one's a freak. It's the Academy that's cruel. And together we'll bring it down and make this world a better place to live," There was magic in his words. For the first time Kenji saw hope in his life. He knew following that weird lady was a good decision. He was safe here. And now he could change the world so that no one would ever call people like him 'freak'.

"I'll do my best, sir," And he too bowed down.

"That's the spirit, my boy!" Zagi praised him.

"Scarlet, how about you come over to my room this evening. I want to discuss something in private with you. Something important," she nodded. Kenji looked between the two, and decided he wanted to sleep far from Zagi's room tonight.

* * *

**That evening….**

She gently knocked at his door.

"Come in, Scarlet," she unlocked the door and moved in. He placed his beer mug on the table and walked towards her.

"Scarlet," he drawled seductively. His eyes wandered her body as he played with her red hair. "You know, I've always wondered how beautiful you are underneath all this-" he gestured to her clothes.

"Clothing," She was wearing back denim and a thin white shirt. She blushed at the comment and became painfully aware of him looking at her. She was used to such pick up lines but she never blushed to such comments, but for some reason, she always did when he said them.

"I'd be more than happy to show you, osoujisama," She meant it. Normally, she'd say these things to please her partner and make the mood. Now though, she wanted him. She wanted him to look at every bit of her skin. She craved his touch and the feeling of his skin against her. Something told her, making love with this man would be different. There was nothing she wanted more. She reached for the top button on her shirt and unbuttoned all the way to the third one. His hand stopped her.

"That's what I like about you. Always ready to obey any order I give you. So loyal," he paused for a moment, staring at her chest. She bared it a little. "And I'd like to undress you myself," he finished. And after that he crushed his mouth on her waiting lips. Not long after he moved his tongue in for exploration. She grabbed tight onto his shirt all the while while his hands roamed around her red hair: twisting, twirling and rolling them as he pleased. Everywhere he touched became electrified. Her blood rushed through her veins spreading heat throughout her body. He placed her down on the bed. His hands unbuttoned her shirt, his lips leaving wet kisses where each button was. He lifted her back slightly, and unhooked her bra. It fell down and he tossed it aside. He took her a proper look at her.

"Beautiful," he admired and then dived in to kiss the newly exposed skin. He left marks here and there; adding to the existing ones. Every small bite on her neck and chest produced a moan out of Scarlet. When the boss stripped himself of this clothing, she filled with longing, lust, and what she thought might be the beginning to love.

She was enjoying sex after a long time. Last time she had this much fun was with Tono-sempai. She pushed aside the thought and allowed herself to be taken completely by the man staring at her.

* * *

_**FLASHBACK:**_

_She wasn't sure what his name was. All she knew, was that when she stormed into the Dangerous Ability classroom, he was sitting there playing a handheld game. He could only hear her heavy breathing louder than the music from his game. He looked up and saw her eyes. He couldn't help but notice the frustration and hurt dripping from her eyes in the form of tears._

"_Where's Persona?" She demanded. He raised an eyebrow and shrugged. No one _ever _wanted to know where their class leader was, much less seek him out. _

"_Why?" She hadn't heard his voice before until then. _

"_I don't want to be here. In this academy. With these people. I want out." Scarlet screamed. The boy set down his game. Turning it off in the process, he silenced the music. _

"_You don't want out, Kusoniki. You know what's out there." So he knew her name. She didn't care that she didn't know his. In fact, she could care less about what he was saying. Men weren't her favorite subject right now, and talking to one was only making her more agitated. Her mind raged._

_Haru and that sempai_.

_Amiki's moans._

_The look of him and her together. Naked. _

_He didn't love her._

_He didn't love._

_He didn't._

Snap.

_Kusoniki didn't know what was wrong with her. Her mind couldn't take anymore of the pain and the memories were too much. She walked up to the boy and only examined his face for a second. His eyes were dark and revealed every ounce of his past. His brown hair was shaggy, and in that moment, she didn't know who he was, but he was _way _more attractive than Haru could ever be. She walked closer to him, causing him to cautiously walk backwards. She stared right into his eyes, stepping forward until his back was pressed right against the wall. She ran her hands over his chest until they reached down to the top part of his thighs. The confusion and caution in his eyes was replaced by something that Kusoniki had only seen in one other person's eyes, but this time it didn't scare her. She was ready. _

_In a split second, his lips were on hers and her hands were around his neck and in his hair. They fought, kissing each other with anger and passion. She wasn't sure what he was upset about, but it didn't matter. The feeling of his lips against her skin was enough to make her forget about her pain. After all isn't this all guys wanted? Sex, passion, pleasure? The boy kissed her as his hand reached to locked the door. He wanted to ask her why they were doing this, but his lips refused to speak words. Rather, they only allowed him to kiss her neck, face, and lips. His hand reached to pull up his shirt. Their lips only parted for a split second as the cloth went over his neck and head. She did the same. The more clothes they removed, the more Kusoniki wondered what to do next. She didn't know. Did he? _

_Eventually, they stood naked in front of each other. Kusoniki was shoved against the table, her eyes staring into the boy's. She noticed that his eyes weren't looking into hers, but at something else. Feeling slightly uncomfortable at his gaze, she wove her hands up to cover her chest. One of his hands tore hers away and the other caressed her. _

"_Relax," he muttered. His lips and hands ran along every inch of her, and Kusoniki complied. He kissed her as he lowered her onto the table. The room seemed hotter from their body heat, and the two were dripping with sweat. She wasn't worried about what she had seen before, but only about the sticky feeling of this boy's body on hers. She liked this. Every worry, every ounce of pain, every terrible memory had subsided. She wasn't worried about Haru anymore, or about her past, or about her alice. She could only focus on the amount of pleasure she felt all over her body. When he saw the look in her eyes, there wasn't any holding back._

_It hurt. A lot. Just like she thought. Her first time._

* * *

_She woke up the next morning naked beside him, and the next morning she'd wake up next to another guy. She found it was the only way to make her feel better and to forget. After all, she had decided that if that's how guys liked it, then that's how she was going to be from now on. Most every morning she'd wake up beside some boy she may or may not know. She'd get dressed, and she'd move onto the next boy. It was a routine. And so the tale of Scarlet began. _

**A/N: Hope that helps understand her character and her past a little. **

**So another quick question: "Which is your favorite OC:**

**1.) Scarlet/Tomoka Kusoniki**

**2.)Boss/Zagi**

**3.)Kenji Yukimura "**

**Do reply in a review. This chapter was written by edwardelric108 and Neverlookback756, then edited by Sonic-Keyblade007.**


	17. Chapter 11: Together

**Chapter 11: Together**

"You really are an idiot, Hyuuga," Hotaru scolded. A few seconds before, Mikan and Natsume had jumped back into the time dimension to meet their friends. Ruka was more than relieved to see the two safe and sound, but Hotaru could only comment on how ridiculous they were. "You're supposed to have a hold on her." Natsume shrugged his shoulders.

"That's easier said than done," he stated giving Hotaru an annoyed look. "Especially when there's a vortex pulling you into it." She was about to retort when Mikan interrupted.

"Isn't it time we went back now?" Paradox nodded. He placed his hand on an invisible wall, and then pulled it apart like a Christmas present.

"Jump through!" And they did.

* * *

The outside world hadn't changed much since they left. Hotaru, on the other hand, did. Hotaru wasn't ready to hop and jump around like her best friend. She and her brother had aged four years in a couple of seconds. It wasn't much difficult for Subaru as he already had acquired adult sized body before he was trapped in time. But for Hotaru, it was tough. Her body had undergone enormous changes; from a girl's body to that of a lady's. And that made it difficult for her. Suddenly in a moment she was taller. Her thighs were larger, body curvier. Her face now had flushes. Her hair grew beyond her shoulders. Her chest had grown bigger, rounder. Pelvis broader and hips wider.

Gravity, weather, pollution, atmospheric pressure all of it suddenly came into action, along with her body metamorphism. And it was hard for her to adjust to the changes so suddenly. Her body ached in every possible place it could. Head bursting, chest aching with newly added burden, legs hurting just by standing for over two minutes. She found it hard to even walk. Even Subaru fumbled in walking, but his healing alice was strong enough to cope with the injuries of time.

"I don't like this," Hotaru stated. Mikan smiled sympathetically at her best friend, holding onto her right hand.

"You'll get used to this eventually, Imai," Ruka said reassuringly, his other hand holding onto Hotaru's left. The two friends could tell that Hotaru was less than thrilled to have to be helped, but she would've fallen over otherwise. When she first tried walking with her older body, Mikan thought she heard something about every bone in her body aching in the midst of a stream of curses. Had Ruka and Mikan let go, Hotaru probably would've fallen over.

"I don't need your help," the new teen seethed.

"Yes you do," Natsume cut in from beside Mikan. "Stop being so stubborn." She threw him a look and sighed.

"Once we get back to the academy, I'm walking on my own."

"Well you better learn fast, because we're almost there," Natsume answered with slight amusement. Hotaru shook off Ruka's hand and tried stepping forward. When her leg almost gave out from beneath her, Ruka went to give back his hand in support, but it was swatted away.

"_I can do this," _Hotaru seethed. Mikan furrowed her eyebrows and stared at her friend in concern. What should she do? Hotaru needed the help, but didn't want it. And what if she was right? What if Mikan's support was only holding Hotaru back from learning how to walk in her newly grown body? To everyone's surprise, Mikan let go of Hotaru's hand. Natsume looked at Mikan with an ounce of concern and confusion.

"Just concentrate, Hotaru. Pretend your legs aren't hurting. Try walking like you normally would," Mikan instructed. Her sudden maturity made everyone even more surprised. Following her best friend's earnest directions, Hotaru stepped forward. Mikan walked beside her, ready to catch her if she fell, but Hotaru stepped forward. Her face looked of flat out concentration, and every step she took became less and less shaky. Within a few minutes, Hotaru was walking like everyone else.

"There you go!" Mikan cheered. When Hotaru's eye twitched, Mikan could tell that the pain hadn't quite subsided, but at least she was walking. Hotaru was about to make a sarcastic remark about, "of course she could it, she was Hotaru Imai"; but the academy came into view.

Mikan had expected a lot of things. She expected to run through the familiar gates into her friends' arms. She expected a lot of silly bragging about how she indeed brought back Hotaru and everyone saying how amazing it was. She expected things to immediately go back to normal as soon as her feet stepped onto the premises, but she was wrong.

From just one look at the place, Mikan knew things would be different. Or at least it would take time. It was just as big as it always had been, but having not been there in four years made the campus seem bigger than she pictured. It didn't help that she hardly saw the academy from the outside much to begin with. Just looking at the place made her heart stop, and her memories become stronger. Noticing her sudden change in mood, Natsume slipped his hand into hers.

"It hasn't changed much," he muttered for her to hear. He was right and all, but Mikan saw that it wasn't the entirely the same. From the hill where they stood, Mikan could see all throughout the school. One thing that wasn't there when she left, was construction around the main buildings, and some of central town.

"What's going on there?" Mikan asked pointing toward the buildings. Natsume turned his head to look where she was pointing.

"They're still fixing things up after that war," he explained. "They're supposed to be done before the year is over."

"It's taken them _four years_ to fix the aftermath?" she asked in disbelief. Natsume nodded.

"It was a lot worse when I first woke up. It didn't take very long for things to go back to normal though, so don't worry." He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. She smiled in return.

"You're right!" she said with a confident laugh.

When Mikan, Natsume, Ruka, Hotaru, and Subaru stood in front of the gates, they opened. The five stepped in hand in hand, and the air felt different. Mikan thought it might've been the barrier, but had her doubts. A breeze brushed against her face and she smiled.

"_We're home!"_

* * *

The group was told to keep their return on the down low until Hotaru and Subaru were healed. As soon as they stepped into the gates of the school, they were in the main building where they would answer some questions, and then to the hospital where they would be examined to make sure all the students came out of the time vortex okay. They were told this was the plan, and there would be no breaking the plan.

The inside of the main building hadn't changed much other than a few coats of paint. The group was escorted into a conference room, and as soon as they stepped through the doors, their mouths dropped. Two sets of families sat on couches in silence. One of the families consisted of a little girl no older than thirteen or fourteen, and a man whose hair was tied back in a ponytail. The other family sitting at their right was a man and a woman, one with black hair and the other with violet eyes. As soon as Mikan and her friends stepped into the room, the families stood up. Both groups stared at each other in shock.

Natsume was the first to react. He stepped forward and reached out for the girl. He didn't say anything, but just pulled her into his embrace. The girl hugged him back.

"Onii-chan!" She cried. Natsume pulled back and looked at her. Aoi Hyuuga had definitely gotten bigger since the last time Natsume saw her. Her hair was a few inches longer, her eyes looked frighteningly like her mother's. He kissed her forehead and gave her a smile. "Dad and I were really worried about you," Aoi stated. Natsume's eyes shifted to his father, who walked up to Natsume and pulled him into an embrace.

"They didn't call to say what happened until it was too late," his father said into Natsume's hair. Tears fell down Natsume's father's cheeks. "I don't know what I would've done if you left us," gave Natsume a once over. "You've gotten so tall! When did that happen?" Everyone chuckled. Aoi looked over, saw Mikan, and squealed.

"Mikan-chan!?" They ran into each other and hugged.

Meanwhile, Hotaru was holding onto her parents. Both Hotaru and her parents were on kneeling on the floor. Subaru stood watching his sister and parents awkwardly. His mother extended her arm and he slowly stepped forward and embraced his parents. Mikan looked at her friends and then back at Shiki who had arranged the entire thing. He saw a little bit of her mother in her when she mouthed, _thank you._

* * *

Hotaru had spent the week in rehab center, getting used to her new post puberty body. Mikan was her guide. Funny thought actually, Mikan teaching someone. Natsume laughed at the idea, but Mikan put her foot down. Although Hotaru, smart as she as, didn't need much of a teaching. Mikan stood at the edge of Hotaru's bed, her hand as on Hotaru's left arm.

"Now bend," she instructed. Hotaru sighed and did as she was told. Pain shot through her arm like a million needles, but the doctors told them this might help Hotaru adjust faster. She bent her arm a total of 30 times in a row, and by the 15th bend, the pain was almost immediately gone. All they had to do was do this every few hours, and within a day or two, Hotaru would be back to normal. "How's that feel?" Mikan asked.

"Better," Hotaru answered. "A lot better, actually." Mikan smiled.

"Do you want to try walking again?" The brunette girl suggested.

"No, I think I just want to rest for a while." The two sat in silence. Both girls took the quietness different ways. Mikan was enjoying Hotaru's company. She laid back across the bed with her arms out. Breathing slowly, she embraced the serenity. Hotaru on the other hand, found the silence slightly uncomfortable. The solution was to break it.

"Mikan, how are you taking all this?" Mikan sat up and gave Hotaru a look she couldn't decipher.

"What do you mean?" Mikan asked bewildered.

"After everything that happened you're acting like it's all gone back to normal." Mikan stood up and walked to the window. Her hands rose the frame, opening the window.

"Hasn't it, though?" Wind came in and blew through her hair. "We can't live in the past anymore, Hotaru." Since when had Mikan gotten so profound? "I mean, there's no reason to. All my parent's wishes are fulfilled. The students in the academy can be happy now, especially the Dangerous Abilities who don't have to do dangerous missions anymore. What happened four years ago was so that we could live happily now. I think we ought to enjoy it." Hotaru smiled.

"That sounds like a good plan." Hotaru replied.

"Speaking of which Hotaru, I'll be back to meet up with you later, there's something I wanted to do before 'the big event'," Mikan said while winking. Hotaru raised an eyebrow, but past experience proved that you shouldn't question Mikan.

* * *

The orange red rays of sun descended on the grass below. Mikan placed the two flower bouquets on two gravestones sitting side by side.

_'Izumi Yukihara'_

_'Yuka Yukihara'_

The bold print was written in a beautiful font. Mikan smiled at the beauty of the area.

"Hey Mom. Daddy. I have been gone for quite a while, but I promise I will visit you regularly now. Hotaru's getting better. I am glad shes back. Everyone's together now. Don't worry I am very happy. Natsume's here too. Just...you..." She couldn't speak. Tears rolled down her eyes. Everyone was here but her parents. She missed them.

A warm hand comforted her shoulders.

"They are here with us. " She turned to see her sensei standing behind her. He touched his heart and then told "In our hearts. " She smiled and wiped of her tears.

" Thank you Narumi sensei."

"You know they'd be very proud of you right now. You fulfilled their dream of changing the academy." He patted her back. "And you've grown into a beautiful young lady. They would be so proud of you. " She hugged him. He hugged her back tightly. "I am very proud of you Mikan. "

"Thank you. I couldn't have done it without your or all my friends help. "

He smiled at her modesty. " If Sensei were alive I bet he'd give Natsume a hard time." Narumi added a lighter tone. Mikan chuckled at the idea of her daddy and Natsume. "_Get your filthy hands off my precious daughter_. _You're going to ruin her innocence! You hear me? Ruin her innocence!" _

* * *

Mikan was not all dumb, and in fact, she was rather clever at times. A week later when one showed up to class, she knew they'd be in their high school building preparing a surprise welcome home party. She also knew that Natsume and Ruka knew all about it too. So she played dumb and allowed everyone to believe they had her completely by surprise.

The common room of the high school division was in a building much like their elementary building. When Mikan stepped in front of the door, she looked up.

"It says common room, so I think this is it," she said. Natsume let go of her hand so she could open the door.

"_SURPRISE! Welcome home!" _

Standing in front of them was every single person from their old class, and most her upperclassmen friends too. They stood in their high school uniforms with smiles on their faces and party hats on their heads. Hotaru and Mikan were greeted by a crowd of people who showered them in hugs. Any other time, Hotaru would've shot everyone away from her with her baka gun, but she decided against it, and embraced the company of her friends (that and because she didn't have the strength to reject them).

Mikan was also enjoying the reunion. Of course she had seen everyone before, but now she had more time. The first to crowd Mikan was Sumire. It hadn't surprised Mikan when Permy came running up to her, and wrapped her arms around her. "You stupid girl, if you ever leave us like that again I swear to-"

"I missed you too, Permy," Mikan said chuckling.

"Who you calling Per-" Sumire was shoved aside by Koko and Fox Eyes. The two boys wrapped their arms around her slim figure and squeezed as hard as they could.

"We won't let you go never ever ever ever ever." They would have continued, but Natsume peeled them off. This started a long list of people coming up to Mikan and Hotaru, hugging them and giving the two off to the next person who wanted to welcome them home. The atmosphere was welcome and happy, and if you asked Mikan, there was no place she'd rather be.

"Come 'ere you!" said a deep voice Mikan hardly recognized. She turned and ran straight into the arms of her Tsubasa-senpai. He planted kisses all over the top of her head and hugged her. Natsume wasn't particularly fond of this, but knew that Tsubasa was engaged, and that he missed his "little sister."

"Guess what?" Tsubasa asked. Mikan looked at him with wide eyes.

"What!?" Misaki came up from behind him and held up her hand, revealing a shiny diamond band on her ring finger. "_Oh my god!"_ Mikan yelled. "You're getting married!" She wrapped her arms around her Misaki-senpai and laughed in pure delight.

"Mikan-chan!" a familiar voice called. Mikan's grin got wider as she turned to greet the voice.

"_Nobara-chan_!" Nobara stood in front of door next to Rei. Mikan noticed her uncle slipping in from behind them. She didn't know who to hug first. Rei stepped forward and awkwardly offered his hand.

"Welcome back, Mikan," he said politely. Mikan smiled at the hand, but instead of shaking it, she embraced him. Rei was still for a moment, then placed his hands on her back. When they pulled apart, Mikan turned to Nobara. They stood smiling at each other until Nobara held out something in her arms. Mikan's eyes widened at the small figure wrapped in a blanket in her friend's arms. Mikan's hands shook as she reached out for the small child.

She didn't want to admit it, but it was Mikan's first time holding a baby. As soon as she felt the warmth in her arms, her heart swelled up. The baby had Nobara's eyes and Rei's nose. The baby boy reached out a hand toward Mikan, and she allowed him to wrapped his hand around her finger.

"Hi there," she said softly. Her voice was drenched in a sweet warmth. "You're so handsome. You have wonderful parents, I hope you know that." Mikan rocked the baby slowly. The room had gone quiet, everyone watched Mikan hold the baby. Ruka noticed Natsume staring at Mikan with a loving intensity. When Mikan and Natsume's eyes met, Ruka saw an invisible message, like they were talking to each other with just their gaze. He just didn't know what they were saying.

"You will never run out of people that love you," Mikan continued to the baby. "There will always be someone caring for you, making sure you're not alone. I promise you that. We all will protect you..." Mikan handed the baby back to his mother just as someone burst through the door. Subaru stood up and stared at the person in the door.

"Sakurano!" he called out. Subaru and Sakurano were never ones to display any friendly affection toward each other. Best friends since childhood, they were always strictly business. But seeing his best friend alive standing in front of him made Sakurano want to break the unspoken rule just once. The older Imai silently agreed. They walked toward each other and embraced like long lost brothers, patting each other's backs.

"I'm glad you're okay," Sakurano muttered. Subaru looked at his best friend and sighed.

"Me too."

* * *

When everyone settled down, cake was cut and passed around. Munching on their cake, everyone listened to the group's adventures.

"And then we accidentally ran into our younger selves!" Mikan exclaimed. "And the younger Natsume was a nasty fox!" Everyone chuckled. "But we made it out okay!"

"Do you remember meeting your older selves though?" Someone asked. Mikan looked at Natsume like the thought had never occurred to her.

"Actually, no," she answered. "Not a single bit."

"Paradox did stick around afterwards remember. He probably just temporarily wiped out our memories." Natsume cut in, wanting to immediately stop any of Mikan's worried thoughts, but he had to admit it freaked him out a little too.

"That makes sense," Mikan said a little uneasy.

"But it all ended up okay," came another person's voice. He was sitting in the corner, and Mikan couldn't quite remember his name. "So that's all that's all that matters."

It wasn't until then that Natsume had really realized the full extent to Mikan's impact on their class. He knew that when he was ten, no one would've been optimistic. Not about Hotaru coming back, or Natsume living, or even the fact that things would be okay in the Academy. And even though living without Mikan for four years was hard, the school being peaceful made it easier. No missions, no bad experiences in the DA class, no weird looks from people walking down the hall because you supposedly burnt down your town and killed your family. Natsume liked living in a place where everyone loved and cared for him. It took weeks after he woke up for people to stop telling him how glad they were he was alive. It was thanks to Mikan that he could live happily at the academy. Now that she was here, things would be even better. For the time being, he forgot about the AAO. He let himself feel safe in the Academy, and decided that things would be okay.

"You okay, Natsume?" The room had broken off into a bunch of different conversations, but Mikan was leaning over looking into Natsume's face. Her face only inches from his, he took advantage and placed a kiss on her lips.

"I'm fine," he muttered sincerely. "Go enjoy yourself." She looked at him.

"Are you sure? I don't want to leave you alo-" Natsume cut her off.

"Yes, I'm sure." She squealed, kissed his cheek, and ran off. Natsume couldn't help but smile.

* * *

A little while later, Mikan noticed Hotaru sitting on a couch watching everyone. By then, it was less about Mikan and Hotaru being back and more about everyone _finally _being together again, so no one bothered Hotaru. Even her brother didn't notice her sitting alone, being too occupied by his old friends.

"You feeling okay, Hotaru?" Mikan asked. Hotaru bent her arm and flinched.

"Still a little achy. Decided to sit down," Hotaru said as Mikan sat beside her.

"You know, I always believed there would be a time like this. Even during the war, and the few days you were gone. Even when I was holding Natsume when he wasn't breathing. It was hard, but I believed that everything would be okay. With a little hard work, we managed to accomplish it." Mikan said, Hotaru smiled.

"I'm glad you thought that way, because I didn't." Hotaru sadly said. Mikan looked over and widened her eyes. Realization appeared on her face.

"You didn't know if you were going to save Natsume, did you?" Mikan said. Hotaru leaned her head back.

"No," Hotaru started. "But I wasn't going to give up." Her eyes looked over at Natsume who was sitting talking to Youichi, Ruka, and some of the other guys. Koko stood up, acted out something that seemed to be a Jinno-sensei impression, and the boys bursted out laughing. Her eyes widened when she saw a smile spread across Natsume's lips. "He's smiling," Hotaru muttered. Mikan turned her head in the direction Hotaru was looking.

"Oh, yeah! Isn't it great? I think he's really enjoying himself for once." Mikan happily stated.

"He never smiled before." Hotaru said. Mikan sighed and a loving smile spread across her cheeks.

"I think he's just allowing himself to be happy for once. No missions, no sickness, everyone's all together." Hotaru was surprised at Mikan's sudden intelligence. "I think he's always been like this, he just needed a little push." The smile on his face proved Mikan was right.

* * *

The party went on for hours. Mikan, of course, made the rounds and talked to everyone who came. They told her stories of the academy, and asked for stories in return. What was the outside world like? What did they wear? What were the people like? Natsume's interest was peaked when he heard something about the boys in the outside world.

"Did you date any of the guys that asked you out?" Nonoko asked. Mikan's eyes met Natsume's. His gaze was so intense that it made her shudder and look away.

"No," she stated sincerely. "I was waiting for Natsume," A brightness swept over their faces and all the girls squealed.

"You remembered him?" Hotaru asked, surprised by Mikan's reasoning.

"Sorta, I just knew there was someone out there I loved. Figured I'd wait for that person." Natsume's eyes softened. Mikan thought she almost saw relief. He walked over to her and placed a kiss on her lips. Ignoring the squeals from their friends, he said, "I think I'm gonna go to bed, now." Mikan blinked.

"Oh, okay! You must be exhausted, huh?" He nodded. "Goodnight Natsume!"

As she watched him walk out of the room, she felt the urge to follow him. What was this feeling? She had been with Natsume again for a long while, now, but this was the first time she felt this way. She didn't just want to follow him. She wanted to kiss him. She wanted to feel his skin against hers. She wanted to be close to him. Her mind wandered off to that first night. The night he unbuttoned her shirt, and she slapped him. The truth was, a part of her wanted him to keep going. But the other part of her -and the more dominant one- told her she wasn't ready. But now...

Then she realized it.

The urge to kiss him, and feel his skin against hers, and be close to him; that was sex.

Mikan's eyes widened.

_What the hell was she thinking?! Sex?! _

Sure she was seventeen now, and this is what girls her age often thought about, but when did this happen? Then again, she loved Natsume more than life itself. Wouldn't it only be natural if they...But was she really ready for this sort of stuff? Half of her _really _wanted to, but the other half wasn't so sure.

Mikan looked at the people around her, every single one having a good time. She hoped no one knew the things running through her mind, but it didn't seem like anyone noticed. She did notice Koko looking at her with wide eyes. Her cheeks immediately turned red when she realized that the amused smirk on his face meant that he had been reading her mind. _Oh, shut up, _she spoke in her mind to him. He chuckled, shrugged, then turned away.

"I don't think Natsume got any cake," Mikan said slowly. Hotaru's eyebrows lifted. "I think I might bring some to him." Mikan said.

Koko cocked his head in amusement. He cheered for Natsume in his mind 'Good luck mate.' As Mikan walked past him towards the door he whispered, "Don't worry I am sure he will be gentle. " She blushed red, frozen, as she stared at him. He winked . She flicked his forehead, but smiled weakly.

What was she _doing?!_ She grabbed a plate of cake, and walked out of the room.

Her body shook with nervousness. The plan was to go in, talk to Natsume about it, and hope that he would know what to do about it. Maybe she'd give him his cake and then they'd laugh about the whole thing. Maybe he'd get mad or offended and stop talking to her. Maybe he'd even break up with her. Her body froze. She was never this bothered by something, why now? She leaned against the wall outside the common room. Her mind raced as she tried to think of what to do. Butterflies filled her stomach like no tomorrow. A few seconds later, something moved outside the window across from her. It made her jump, but she immediately remembered her current problem.

A few minutes later, she composed herself, put on a determined face, and walked toward the boy's dormitory.

**A/N: What did you guys think? Things will be starting to pick up within the next few chapters, and the next one will definitely be a good one! Don't miss it! Also, thank you guys SO MUCH for all of your reviews! We really appreciate every comment and critique! We especially love the awesome constructive criticism you leave us because it helps us grow as authors. So thank you so much for your support and keep reading! **

**This chapter was written by Neverlookback756 and edited by edwardelric108 and Sonic-Keyblade 007.**


	18. Chapter 12: Temptation

**A/N- This chapter is rated T+ for minor sexual themes. It's not a lemon though, don't worry!**

* * *

**Chapter 12: Temptation**

Natsume relaxed across his bed, surrendering himself to the heaviness in his eyes. A wave of exhaustion had swept over his body and he sighed. Perhaps it was time lag, or the really loud party he just escaped from. Or maybe it was the fact that Hotaru hit him hard with her improvised baka gun version 3.2.01. When did she even have the time to make that thing? Who knew? The restful sleep he craved for called his name, and he was just about to take advantage of the chance to relax, when the door slid open.

"Natsume?" a familiar voice called out. Natsume opened his eyes and sat up. Mikan stood in the doorway. Without dropping her gaze on his, she pushed the door behind her shut. The soft _slam _made Natsume jump a little. He noticed she had changed from her party outfit to...one of his old t-shirts? Where did she get that? She must've stolen it when he wasn't looking, but either way, it was far too big on her and looked great.

The small lamp by the corner of Natsume's bed was the only luminescence in the room. The light poured onto Mikan's legs and shimmered off her smooth skin. With her long hair falling down her back and shoulders, Natsume couldn't help but think she looked absolutely perfect. He stood up from the bed and walked over to her.

"Shouldn't you be at the party still?" he asked, running his fingers up and down her arms. Goosebumps appeared on Mikan's skin at Natsume's touch.

"I was getting a little tired too," she answered softly. "I just wanted to be near you, though," Her voice had something that he hadn't heard before. But in the end, it was her eyes. Something in her eyes was screaming for him. It made Natsume nervous and excited all at once. When she placed her hands on his chest, he shivered. Her fingers ran over the hard surface. "I just wanted to be with you, that's all," Mikan whispered for only the two of them to hear. Mikan slid a hand up under his shirt and felt his skin. Her nails gently grazed his skin as her eyes examined his chest, arms, face, everywhere where she could see.

Natsume stood there frozen, but then he wondered why he was so nervous. Wasn't this what he wanted? A little intimacy with his fiance? The ice broke, and the nervousness was gone.

He brought his lips to hers and rested his hands on her waist. Their lips moved together slowly. Natsume's exhaustion was replaced by a passionate adrenaline. They swayed at the perfect rhythm, their lips dancing against each other. Natsume's hands slipped from Mikan's waist, to her hips. He ran his hands up and down, feeling every curve and indentation. Mikan's hands ran through Natsume's hair, twirling it and pulling at it. She deepened the kiss and opened her mouth slightly, allowing Natsume entrance.

What was a sweet, loving kiss turned into a passionate battle. Mikan bit Natsume's bottom lip and pressed herself against him. As they devoured each other, Mikan slowly pushed Natsume toward his bed. Natsume wasn't aware of what Mikan was doing until his legs hit the edge of his bed. Natsume continued kissing her as his arms swept around her body. He lowered her onto the bed, her back falling onto the soft comforter. He pressed open mouth kisses along her neck and cheek, gently licking her skin with each kiss. He shoved the t-shirt away from her shoulder and pressed butterfly kisses on her pale skin. Mikan moved his head back to her lips and kissed him hungrily. She wrapped her arms around his neck and tugged him closer to her. Natsume's body was on fire. Everywhere she touched felt like it was bursting into flames.

Natsume brushed Mikan's hair away and nibbled her earlobe.

"Let me know-," Natsume started, adding kisses in between each word. "-if you want me to stop." Mikan pulled away and placed her hands on his cheeks.

"Don't stop." Natsume grinned and crushed his lips on hers. His hands grabbed the hem of Mikan's shirt and pulled it up over her head, revealing her polka-dotted bra and panties. His eyes took in every ounce of her creamy colored skin. He placed a soft kiss on her stomach. He pulled back and stripped off his own shirt, revealing his six pack abs. Mikan's eyes widened. She looked like she wanted to say something but only shook her head, brought her lips back to his.

Mikan laid back flat against the bed, with Natsume hovering above her. Her eyes still shut and mouth still sealed against his, she messed with the belt of his pants and stripped it off. Natsume took off his jeans himself and tossed them aside. Mikan pulled him down so that he lay on top of her and ran her fingers over his back. She felt a fleshy scar right beneath where his heart was, and rubbed it with her hand. A scar left from an epic battle. *

Their kisses had become less fiery, as they focused more on removing Mikan's articles of clothing. Natsume's breath was heavy and messy. The two of them were slightly sticky with sweat from the heat.

It was finally she was. The woman-no, the person- he loved the most in the world. The woman he'd give-make that gave- his life for. Finally naked before him. How many wet dreams did he have about this moment for the past four years? This feeling he got as he examined every inch of her bare body for the first time, was wet dreams were nothing compared to this feeling. She was more beautiful than he had imagined in his wet dreams.

All that was left, was Natsume's boxers.

And she slide it down using one of her hand and tossed it away on side of the bed, revealing something that only he had seen uptill now. It was pure ecstasy.

Despite all those feelings, something in Natsume's heart twinged. It felt rough enough to get his attention. And then he just knew. This wasn't...

"_Appearances can be deceiving my dear friend, always listen to your heart. Don't give into temptations_ " Paradoxes voice echoed in his mind, and he knew something was wrong.

Something in Natsume's heart twinged. It felt rough enough to get his attention. And then he just knew. This wasn't…

"Stop," he ordered. Her hand was right about to grab onto the last cloth he wore. He glared at her with eyes so intense, they almost hurt.

"What's wrong, Natsume?" Mikan asked with confusion and hurt dripping from her voice.

"Who are you?" he demanded. She was angry now.

"What the hell kind of question is that?" He shoved her away from him and looked at her.

"You look and sound like her," he noticed. "But you're not..." She took his face in her hands and forced him to stare into her eyes.

"Look at me," she said. "See, it's me." But Natsume had looked into Mikan's eyes enough to know that they weren't hers. He knew her eyes so well. Whenever they met his, they would reflect pure innocence,love and joy. But this Mikan's eyes were far from reflecting innocence. They were lustful. Mikan's eyes were filled with lust and desire. There was no love. And he knew his Mikan would never do such a thing out of lust. She would do it for love. She would want him for their _love_, not her_ lust_.

Just as he was about to push her away, the door opened. Natsume's attention was drawn towards the intruder. How careless of him not to lock the door. Meanwhile the 'Mikan' underneath him had already changed her appearance to a stranger. But h his gaze was fixed at the intruder to notice the change.

"Hey Natsume, why did you lea-" _What?_ Mikan was halfway into the room. She was fully dressed and had a piece of "Welcome back!" cake in her hand. If that was Mikan standing there, then who was...?

Natsume looked over to the naked girl under him, expecting to see another Mikan, but it wasn't. In fact, he didn't quite know who it was. It didn't really matter _who_ it was, but it mattered why she wasn't Mikan. Natsume looked at the real Mikan, ready to explain himself, but the heartbroken expression on her face stopped him. She looked shattered. Her eyes filled with tears and her entire body quivered. She dropped the cake on the ground, and it splattered onto the floor. _Her_ Natsume, her_ fiance_, was lying naked on his bed with another naked girl. How could he? She ran out of the room and slammed the door.

"Shit, that wasn't supposed to happen," the girl mumbled. Natsume looked over at her, and the girl had changed again. _Of course. _He was such an idiot.

Sitting next to him was Scarlet from the AAO that was after Mikan.

She was putting back on her clothes and getting ready to leave. Natsume glared at her. He reached out and grabbed her neck in his hand. Squeezing slightly, he shoved her against a wall.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you," Natsume growled. Scarlet gasped a few times and gave Natsume a look he couldn't decipher.

"How could you tell?"

"What?" he asked, tightening his grip on her neck.

"How could you tell it wasn't Mikan?" He wasn't sure exactly.

"Stay away from her," he warned. She coughed and rolled her eyes.

"It wasn't exactly her I was here for."

"Then what were you trying to accomplish?"

"I was going to shock the seal off her Alice," Scarlet answered through gasps. It was getting harder and harder to breathe.

"By pretending to be her and having sex with her fi-?" Scarlet interrupted.

"By killing you, Natsume." He was silent. Instead of answering, he flung her to the side so hard she crumbled to the floor. Her hand landing in some spilled cake. She gasped for air and clutched her shirt. Natsume stepped on her chest and gave her the deadliest glare he could manage. He squatted down to her level, his foot still on top of her.

"Stay away from her, away from me, away from this school, and everyone in it," he warned. "If you don't, I will personally be the one to make sure you die a slow and painful death!"

Natsume stood up and ran to the door to chase after Mikan. He turned for one last look at Scarlet, but she was gone. And in a split second, so was he.

* * *

_What was he thinking!? _Mikan screamed in her head. Regardless of how dark it was, she found herself sitting against a tree. The stars were covered by night clouds and she had nothing to look at except darkness. Hotaru told her men were confusing, but dedicating almost their entire life to you only to cheat on you with some girl you don't know. What was Natsume thinking? Was he just so hungry for sex that he thought he could get it from just anyone? That couldn't possibly be it. She'd known Natsume for a long time now, and this was the first time he ever betrayed her for real. What was his reason? There had to be one...right?

"Natsume is a really great kisser," a voice above her cooed. She looked up and found Scarlet, the shape shifter from the AAO.

Now Mikan's brain is very small. She can put two and two together, and she isn't as dumb as she seems, but she can only process one thing at a time. The first thing she processed was, _Oh my god, she tricked Natsume. _The second thought went something like _Oh my god, she's here to capture me and no one's around._ And the last thought was a solid and loud, _Oh my god, I am such an idiot._

"What'd you do to him?" Mikan seethed. Scarlet brushed off the comment and placed her hands on her hips.

"Nothing, relax." Scarlet gave Mikan an approving look. "But he is great looking."

What Mikan did next surprised even her. She brought her hand up and slapped it clean across Scarlet's face. She couldn't even come up with the right words to say. The red mark on Scarlet's cheek was enough of what Mikan wanted to get across. But the casualness was gone, and they knew that Scarlet wasn't there just to talk. The grave expression on her face said that she meant business.

Scarlet grabbed Mikan's wrist and pulled her close.

"My Boss needs your Alice and you've never cooperated before, but you're going to now." Mikan's heart stopped.

"Let go of me!" she screamed. Mikan struggled against Scarlet's grip, giving it all she had. Scarlet's long nails dug into Mikan's skin, drawing blood and the pain her flinch. The effort Mikan gave in escaping, Scarlet gave back two-fold. And quite frankly, Mikan was tired. She was exhausted mentally, physically, and emotionally. She knew Natsume hadn't cheated on her intentionally, but it still ate her away inside. The thought of Natsume with another girl, the thought of that girl being _Scarlet. _Part of Mikan wanted to give up.

But Mikan never gave up. No matter how difficult things got, no matter how tired she was, no matter how much her heart broke, she never gave up. And so she fought. She screamed and kicked, but Scarlet was much more advanced than she. When her body started to tingle like it did before she teleported, she yelled out one last, "_Natsume!"_

And she was gone.

All that was left was a dropped student ID.

* * *

Natsume called out her name into the darkness. When she wasn't in her room or at the party, Natsume knew that he could find her under the trees somewhere. He searched for what seemed like eternity, until something caught his eye in the moonlight. He picked it up and his eyes widened. _Oh no. _

The doors to the main building swung open. Several staff members looked up and saw the teenage boy standing with a horrified look on his face. Shiki and the HSP excused themselves to see what the raven haired lad wanted.

"She's gone," Natsume breathed out.

"What do you mean she's gone?" Shiki questioned.

"That shape shifter from the AAO must've gotten her when Mikan's guard was down." He handed the adults her student ID. "I found this outside near the northern forest," Natsume said in horror.

"We need to figure out where she is. Why don't you look at the security camera footage and see which direction they went in. Call Serina-sensei; her fortune ball will be of use too. Pull in some of the students who might know about the AAO and where they're at. Go on the records and..." Natsume tooned out the orders.

Mikan was gone.

_His _Mikan was gone.

And she hated him right now.

Gone.

_Gone._

"I'm going to find her," Natsume announced. The two teachers looked at him like he was insane.

"You can't do that," the HSP said.

"I have to," Natsume started. "This is all my fault, damn it." They didn't have the opportunity to question him because he was already out the door. He managed to slip out of the academy the way he normally would for missions, and headed onto the streets. He was a dangerous ability, and he knew where Mikan was. The AAO didn't know what was coming.

* * *

** A/N-**

***-The scar Natsume received when a student controlled by Luna stabbed him in chapter 162.**

**What'd you guys think? Pretty crazy, huh? Leave us a review with comments and suggestions. You guys keep us going! This chapter was written by Neverlookback756 and edited by edwardelric108 and Sonic-keyblade007.**

**Q/A **

Rima: "I have a question, Is Scarlet someone Natsume knows?"

**Answer: No, prior to this chapter, Natsume and Scarlet have never met each other. Although Natsume has been used as Scarlet's replacement by Persona ever since she betrayed the academy as seen in chapter 10.**

Rima: "You will start a mikan in the study without any problems, I hope to increase the problems but without killing

**Answer: Mikan and friends will run into many problems in this story, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they will resort to killing their enemies.**

**Well that's it for now, be sure to leave us more questions in your reviews and we'll be sure to answer them. ^_^**


	19. Chapter 13: Flashback

**Hey Guys****! So we wanted to apologize for the really late update. Two of our author's are back in school and the other is just about to start. We're going to be slowing down our updates to help cope with our schoolwork and also your guys'! Probably most of you are heading back to school or are currently in session, so work hard! We will too! We hope you enjoy this chapter! **

**Chapter 13: Alone**

The AAO was right where it always had been; in the middle of the city in what seemed to be a large welding factory. It hadn't changed since Natsume last stood in front of that, and when that was he couldn't remember. All he knew was that this entire thing was more familiar than he'd like to admit. Standing in front of one of the secret entrances with his black cat mask placed promptly on his face.

When he had stopped his missions, they were going to take back the mask, but Natsume just couldn't part ways with it. As much as he hated to admit it, it had become a part of him. Instead, they just removed the restrictive properties and the mask he wore now was like any other mask. No more piercing headaches, it was merely a symbol. An icon maybe.

As familiar as the situation seemed, there was something very not right about the way the AAO hadn't moved. They were not stupid. They were expecting Natsume, he was sure of it. By the look Scarlet had given him when he last saw her, he figured she had realized that Natsume was deeply involved with Mikan. Scarlet probably knew better than to think Natsume wouldn't come save her. If that was the case, then why was it so easy to just traipse up to the door and and walk in.

This was a trap. That he knew.

But Mikan was in trouble, so there wasn't any other choice.

He had to do this. He _had _to. Mikan was in trouble.

So he thought about his options. He could enter through the front door like he had originally planned. Maybe they didn't expect him to be so rash, and come in through a different way. He could also go in through the top, there seemed to be a door near the roof. He'd have to work his way down the entire building, and he figured Mikan would be in the basement somewhere. The thought of his fiance locked behind the bars of an AAO cell wasn't a thought he wanted to keep thinking about.

In the end, he decided it didn't matter how he got in. All he wanted was Mikan back, and he would stop at nothing to make sure she was safe. So, leaving his logic on the doorstep, he walked through the main entrance.

The inside of the warehouse seemed normal. Natsume's steps echoed off the walls, bouncing around like taunts. His guard was up, honing his senses. As he stepped through the corridors, Natsume's mind began to race. What if Mikan wasn't okay? What if he was really in the wrong place? The entire building seemed awfully quiet, so what if they actually _had _moved. Natsume's hands began to tremble. He was almost about to turn around and go back, when something metal clattered against the concrete ground. The noise echoed throughout the entire room, ricocheting off of barrels, tools, and emptiness, then was followed by an almost silent curse.

Natsume's hand filled with flames and his eyes narrowed.

"Show time!" Natsume muttered with a smirk on his face.

No one appeared, but he knew they were there. He tossed a fire attack toward boxes in the direction the noise came from, and flames erupted like an explosive. Two men came diving from behind the boxes, letting out yells of agony from burns. When he sensed someone behind him, he turned just in time to stop a metal pipe from hitting his head. He ducked and grabbed onto it, swinging it aside, along with the AAO member attached. He grabbed the man by the collar, pulled him up so the man could see the fiery look in his eyes from behind the mask.

"_Where is she?"_ he growled. Natsume's voice sent chills through the man's bones.

"I don't know what you're talking about," the man replied stuttering. His eyes flickered away from the mask.

"TELL ME." Natsume brought a flame right next to the man's frightened face.

"I-in the basement. The only way down is by the stairwell on the second floor." Natsume dropped the man. He landed on the floor with a _thud. _Natsume gave him one last kick to the stomach and ran forward.

Natsume could not remember if missions were always this easy. He zoomed through the attackers like they were sacks of flour. With every AAO member he knocked to the ground, he wondered more and more if he was just getting stronger, of if it was the adrenaline of the whole situation. He figured it was both, the latter more than the former. God, he hoped Mikan was okay.

He should have known he spoke to soon.

As soon as he stepped through the doors onto the second floor, he was greeted by a gun to the head. But a quick surveillance of the area, it seemed there were thirty; forty at the most.

Natsume froze. His heart stopped, and he knew he had been thinking like an idiot.

Of course it wasn't going to be easy.

A young boy stepped forward from all the gun points. Natsume recognized the black hair and impish nose immediately. Kenji.

"Where is she?" Natsume demanded. Kenji raised his eyebrows in amusement.

"You know the answer to that question already."

"Then give her back." Kenji motioned for the men to lower their weapons, but it didn't lower Natsume's guard.

"You know I'm not going to do that." Natsume's eyes flared.

"Why you-" He stepped forward and grabbed Kenji by the collar. The henchman flinched, but Kenji stopped them by holding up his hand.

"What has got you so wild?" Kenji asked, slightly intrigued. Natsume's grip tightened. His throat became dry, but he still spoke.

"That girl," Natsume started loud enough for only the boy to hear. Kenji could see emotion in Natsume's eyes through the mask. "That girl is everything I live for." Kenji's eyes narrowed. Natsume was taken slightly aback. Was that...jealousy?

"We won't let you see her. It'd be in your best interest to go back while you're unharmed. While Ms. Sakura is unharmed." Natsume punched Kenji in the gut, causing the boy to drop to the ground.

"Hurt her, and I'll kill you." From the ground, Kenji looked at his henchmen.

"Now." Right as Kenji spoke the words, the men raised back up their weapons. Natsume was just as quick as they were. He shoved the men away with his willpower alice, and used his fire to create a wall around him. Everything seemed to be going his way, when Natsume's heart twinged.

"_Oh shit, not now," _he thought. He felt a cough in his throat, but did his best to push it aside. Kenji noticed this through the fire and smirked.

"It's no use, Natsume Hyuuga," he yelled. "You'll collapse before you can even get to her."  
The fire grew larger.

"_Shut up!" _

Things were about to get bad when a shot was heard, and a sting pierced into Natsume's upper arm.

**Flashback**

"_Natsume, we have school today," A voice came from behind the door. Natsume turned away and shoved his face deeper into the pillow. Him and Ruka went though this every morning. _

"_We've gone through this," Natsume called out impatiently. _

"_You're going to have to go back eventu-"  
"Ruka," Natsume interrupted. The door opened. A tall thirteen year old blonde stepped in and sat on the edge of Natsume's bed._

"_What would she think of you just wallowing here?" Natsume flipped over and sat up. His eyes were drained and tired. "I'm worried about you," __Ruka said._

"_I'll be fine, I just need a day or two," Ruka sighed._

"_You've been saying that for two weeks, Natsume." Natsume slipped out of bed and changed his shirt._

"_Fine, I'll just get dressed and act like nothing happened." __Natsume responded annoyed.  
_

"_Natsume..." Ruka called. Natsume slammed his dirty t-shirt on the floor and turned to Ruka._

"_Do you have any idea how _lonely _I've been?!" Ruka's eyes watered a little. This wasn't the first time this had happened. It had happened once or twice a year since Mikan left, but it was getting worse every time. It was getting harder and harder to see Natsume like this. "Every day, it just gets more and more difficult to walk, to eat, to talk to people." Natsume's eyes filled with despair._

"_But you've got to try," Ruka stated. Natsume looked at his best friend and they stared at each other. "You've got to hold it together so that when you two find your way back together, you'll be okay." Natsume's eyes drifted over to the picture of Mikan by his bedside. He couldn't help but wonder what she looked like now. Was she any taller? Were her eyes any bigger or brighter? Did she still smile? God, he wanted to see her smile. The memory of her grin made his heart feel lighter. Ruka noticed Natsume's eyes soften. The sadness faded away, and Natsume seemed to have calmed down._

"_Feeling better?" Ruka asked._

"_I think I'm ready to go to class now," Natsume decided. Ruka smiled._

"_I left you breakfast on your dresser. Take your time. I don't think sensei will be upset if you're a little late." Ruka left Natsume alone to his thoughts._

_The truth was, Natsume was far from okay. He had gone from better to worse, to even more worse, back to better, and so forth too many times he lost track. There were a few nights that he didn't like to think about. Nights where everything would hurt, and the only thing he needed to feel better was sleeping painlessly in her own village. He'd clutch onto his sheets and let out soundless screams. The doctors told him that he should try to heal his mental condition in order to make any progress on his physical. That was easier said than done. _

_Natsume looked at himself in the mirror and sighed. If Mikan could be strong, then so could he. _

"I didn't think I'd ever see you again, Kuro Neko." The voice came from in front of Natsume. He slipped his eyes open, and found his mask was off, and laying at a table beside him. When his vision cleared, Natsume looked at the man standing in front of him. This man was the new leader of the AAO. His dark messy hair complimented the scars on his face and body. Natsume hadn't seen him before, but was a good enough judge of character to know what type of man this was. The kind that would be polite...

"It is a pleasure to be in your presence."

...But wouldn't mean a damn word of it. The Boss pulled a knife from it's sheath and placed it near Natsume's neck. "I'm sure we'll be great acquaintances." The Boss' voice was sour sweet, like milk just starting to go bad. Natsume stared the man straight in the eyes.

"What exactly are you after?" Natsume asked. He went to shift his weight, but found he was bound at his feet, with his wrists chained to a pole behind him.

"I think you know," Zagi responded. "You know, I'd unchain you, but I know how rebellious you are. So this is what I needed to do in order to have a civilized conversation with you. I think we have some things to discuss." Natsume's eyes narrowed. God, he was tired.

"So get talking," Natsume spit out coldly. Zagi pulled his chair closer to Natsume.

"Do you know why we have in our custody?" Natsume shivered.

"Enlighten me."

"She's going to save the world."

Natsume had known this much. He knew far too well about the AAO's delusions about Mikan still being an alice, and how they wanted to use her Alice to remove Alices from the world. Oh yes, he knew _all _about it. But then there was this part of Natsume that was selfish. He didn't care if Mikan was the only way to save all humanity, he just wanted her all for himself. He wasn't about to let some organization steal her away and harm her.

"You're crazy," Natsume spat. His eyes narrowed when he watched a sickly sweet smile spread across Zagi's lips. Standing his ground, he braced himself when Zagi's arm lifted from his side, and a fist flew across Natsume's face.

_*Flashback*_

"_...So then Kokoroyomi started reading her mind, and I'll admit I was pretty embarrassed, but it put a smile on my face anyways. I always wondered what had happened to that box of chocolates Sakura gave me. I guess I know now...Please wake up, Natsume. I can't do this without you." Ruka's voice echoed around from somewhere distant. Natsume wondered if they were sitting in a tunnel of some sort. He had been sitting listening to Ruka's stories for a while now, but he didn't know what the Pheromone Alice meant when he told Natsume to wake up. _

_Wasn't he awake? He was sitting right there listening to Ruka talk, so then why...?_

"_Just wake up, Natsume." _

_And then it hit him._

_He must've been in a coma. Ruka was so distant because they weren't actually sitting together in a tunnel. Chances are, Natsume was laying in a bed somewhere fast asleep. No matter what he tried, or how hard he concentrated, he couldn't snap out of it._

"_Please, Natsume. For Mikan. Wake up for Mikan." That was all he needed to hear. _

_Natsume rested in Room 421B in the Alice Academy hospital. His normal pills along with some new ones rested at his bedside. The only people in the room were Natsume's blonde haired best friend, and a boy with a strange tattoo underneath his eye claiming to be somewhat of a brother to Natsume. He had the same mission scars as Natsume to prove it. _

"_Ruka-pyon, why don't you go to dinner. You haven't eaten since breakfast," the tattooed boy stated._

"_But what if he wakes up when I'm gone?" Tsubasa was about to answer when a sigh came from Natsume's lips. This had happened on more than one occasion, but it always made the two boys jump in hope. Maybe he'd wake up this time._

_Then the grip on Ruka's hand tightened. _

"_Natsume!?" The injured boy didn't open his eyes. _

"_Mikan..." he said weakly. Ruka almost didn't hear it. "Where's Mikan?" _

_Ruka didn't answer. He wasn't sure how to. Narumi had mentioned something to Ruka about easing Natsume into this new life. Something about saving the bad news until the very last minute. _

"_She's fine, she's okay," Ruka choked out. Natsume's face relaxed, and he slowly lifted his eyelids. "More importantly you're okay, Natsume." Tsubasa watched from the corner, his throat closing. _

"_We almost didn't think you'd make it, kiddo," Tsubasa mentioned. Red eyes trailed over to the tall teenager standing in the corner and softened. _

"_What happened?" Natsume asked. Immediately after he said this, Natsume noticed that someone was missing from the room. Someone important. "Where is she?" Ruka noticed the panic in his eyes. _

"_We told you, she's fine." _

"_No, but where is she right now." How like Natsume; he always knew when something wasn't right. Sometimes Ruka hated him for it._

"_Why don't you just relax for a while, Natsume." Tsubasa stepped forward. His blue eyes told Natsume what he already knew; he wasn't going to want to know, so he shouldn't be asking. _

"_What is it?"  
"Natsume..." Ruka said._

"Tell me."

"_She lost her alice trying to save you," Tsubasa stated. Saying the words was like walking across thin ice. Any second now, Natsume would snap. "So they removed her enrollment at the academy." Natsume didn't blink. The second Tsubasa finished his sentence Natsume said, "Take me to her." _

"_We can't do that." Natsume ignored the pain and sat up. _

"_Why the hell not?" Ruka expected him to be angry, but instead, he just looked desperate. _

"_They erased her memories." Tsubasa's fists clenched as he bit out the words. If it was hard for Tsubasa to miss Mikan as much as he did, he could only imagine what things were going to be like for Natsume. As if answering his question, Natsume's eyes widened as the color drained from his face. _

"_No," was all Natsume could mutter. Ruka bit back the urge to cry. _

_Tearing the IVs from his arm, Natsume shoved the blankets off him and got up. Ruka watched as Natsume struggled to stay on his feet, waiting to see what he could do next. Then Natsume took off toward the door. _

_Tsubasa was quick, and grabbed Natsume's arm. Normally he'd be equally matched, but with Natsume this weak, it was easy to keep him down. _

"_I have to see her!" Natsume yelled. Ruka grabbed onto Natsume's hand and pulled him back._

"_Natsume you need to be careful, you're still not fully healed yet." _

"_I _have _to see her. There's no way she forgot me. She's waiting for me. I have to. I have to..." Natsume's voice trembled as he yelled out. His chest still hurt, and there was a pain in his back that felt like someone had torn out his insides. _

"_You can't, Natsume," Tsubasa declared. Natsume pulled on his arms and kicked forward. He screamed against Tsubasa's grip, pulling and shoving and fighting. A few doctors rushed in, but Tsubasa told them they had it under control. _

"_Listen to me Natsume," Tsubasa yelled through the fight. "You can't see her. Not yet anyways. The reason they did this was to protect her. To keep her safe. If she regains her memories, she won't be safe anymore. We just have to keep it together. For her! Your bond with her can't be broken apart like this! You'll see her again." _

_Natsume stopped fighting. His body ached and he just wanted to go back to sleep and wake up to Mikan at his side. _

_It was in that moment, that a heavy layer of despair fell over Natsume. _

_This was losing Aoi and his father all over again. Why was the academy always taking people he loved from him? With his family though, he knew that they were safe. Natsume's missions ensured it. But he didn't know where Mikan was. Every second he wasn't ensuring her safety, it bothered him. He didn't know when they'd see each other again or if she'd even remember him. It rushed on him at once, and he fell to the ground. He caught himself with a hand on Tsubasa's shoulder. _

_He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and cried._

_"A girl like Mikan would have a boyfriend in her village, don't you think?" 14-year-old Natsume asked into the cool autumn air. _

"_What are you talking about this time?" his best friend reply. They sat in their normal tree, at the same normal time, talking about the same normal things. That is, until Natsume brought this up. _

"_Think about it Ruka. A girl like that. She's got to have a boyfriend now. She's not too smart or anything, but I'm sure she's absolutely beautiful now." _

"_Oh, that's for sure." _

"_And she's kind and happy, it's the kind of thing that guys want to be around, you know?" Ruka glanced over._

"_Well, yeah actually I do know." Natsume had forgotten about Ruka loving Mikan. That just seemed like so long ago. In reality, it wasn't really. Only a few years at most. Natsume wondered if Ruka still harbored any feelings for her. _

"_But if guys here can fall completely for her," Natsume continued. "Then why can't they in the real world?" Ruka sighed and shrugged his shoulders._

"_You know, I think that's where trust comes into the whole relationship thing. Natsume, I know she is still head over heals in love with you. Whether or not she knows it, or remembers you, your love can't be stopped with this. You just have to trust her." The thought of Mikan with another boy was battling Ruka's words in Natsume's mind. On one hand, Natsume _really _wanted to trust Ruka. The idea of Mikan still loving him, waiting for him. That was the kind of mindset she'd have if she were in his situation. The other half of Natsume thought logically like it normally did. This was a memory erasing Alice they were talking about. Could love really cancel out something that powerful?_

"_If she does have a boyfriend I'll kill him," Natsume growled._

"_Natsume..." Natsume looked over at his best friend and rose an eyebrow. _

"_I'm kidding." They laughed together, but both of them knew on the inside he wasn't kidding._

"_What!?" _

"_You heard it right the first time, Natsume," Narumi-sensei said. Natsume's hands flew to the arms of his chair. This is the moment he had been waiting for ever since he collapsed on the hospital floor in tears. _

"_You're not messing with me, are you?" Natsume spit out._

"_Why would I joke about this Natsume? Look for yourself." Narumi handed Natsume a sheet of paper sitting on top of an open envelope. Sure enough, when he opened the folded letter his eyes widened. Sure enough it was Mikan's grandfather asking the school in old kanji to take Mikan back. Something about foreigner kidnappers going after an undercover alice girl. _

"_Grab your jacket, Natsume," Narumi said. "It's fine." _

_**A/N: We hope you guys liked this chapter! It's main focus was to show how Natsume felt without Mikan those few years through flashbacks while he's unconscious. Tell us what you think! The next update should be within a week or two. Feel free to PM us questions if you're really confused on something!**_

_**This chapter was written by Neverlookback756 and edited by Sonic-Keyblade007 and edwardelric108.**_


	20. Chapter 14: Pain

**Chapter 14: Pain**

The sweet bright sun shined into the salty water of Mikan's favorite beach. She finally had the chance to visit the beach with her dear friend, Hotaru, who had recently fully recovered. The two girls were happily playing together in the shallow waters of the beach dressed in their bathing suits. After all, who ever said there was an age limit to fun? They begin an innocent splash war. Subaru and Noda could be seen grilling burgers in the distance. Ruka, at the moment, was playing in the sand trying to build a sand lion. His Alice didn't cover fake animals, though, because it just looked like a sandy blob. The five friends seemed to be enjoying their day at the beach without a care in the world.

"Man, am I getting hungry!" Mikan exclaimed as she placed her hand on her growling belly.

"I think the food is finally ready!" Hotaru called out as she grabbed Mikan's hand and ran to where her brother was grilling juicy tender slabs of ground beef along with the time-travelling professor. "Two burgers please! I bet they're so good, Nii-chan is a great cook." Hotaru said with a heart warming smile on her face.

"Well well well, someone sure does have an appetite today." Subaru said while patting Hotaru's head which caused her to blush.

"You're embarrassing me!" Hotaru squealed as her brother handed her burgers for the two friends. Hotaru and Mikan then found a spot to sit on the ground at the beach. "Ahh! They're so good!" Hotaru squealed as she took a deep bite into the burger that her brother worked so hard to make. They ate happily together, when Mikan finally spoke.

"Hey Hotaru, um do you understand how guys operate?" Mikan asked. "Say if you had a boyfriend who wanted to well, you know, make love, but you pushed him away and said you weren't ready for it." Mikan said while her cheeks turned red. "Would you blame him if his sex drive became so great that he went to another girl for sex?" Mikan asked while wrapping her head between her folded legs in shame.

"Huh? Hm, well guys guys at our age can often be unstable." Hotaru stated. This caused Mikan to feel discouraged by the thought that her Natsume may have turned to another girl to fulfill his desire for sex. "Why do you ask Mikan?" Hotaru wondered concerned about her friend.

"Oh! Uh, well, no reason," Mikan replied as her face turned red.

"Come on Mikan, I know when something is on your mind," Hotaru said while playfully poking her brunette friend's cheek.

"Well...it's just that I caught my boyfriend about a have sex with another girl. It made me feel terrible and broken. It was as if I wasn't enough for him so he decided to toss me away like trash and move on to another girl." Mikan said as she felt her throat begin to become rough and sore due to her loss of faith in her fiancé. When did she start to doubt Natsume this much?

"Oh, that does sound bad Mikan. I'm sure if I ever had a boyfriend who cheated on me then I would feel terrible too," Hotaru stated as she took another bite out of the hamburger her brother made.

"I'm beginning to think that maybe this whole thing is all my fault. I pushed him away and said that I wouldn't feel comfortable having sex until we rescued you Hotaru," Mikan said as she landed a shy glance on her dark haired friend.

Ruka couldn't help but notice his two friends talking about something. He knew it was something important as both the girls had a depressed look on their face so he headed over to speak to his two friends as quickly as he could.

"Hey you two, why the long faces?" Ruka asked sympathy.

"Wha-uh n-nothing!" Mikan said as her face became red at the thought of Mikan mentioning her problems in her sex life to Ruka.

"Hey Ruka, you're technically a boy right?" He threw Hotaru a look. "If you had a girlfriend who refused to have sex with you, would you move on to hit on another girl." Hotaru said with a smile on her face.

"It's not that I refused to sleep with him, exactly. More like postponed." Mikan squealed as she put her hand over her mouth in shock by the fact that she just admitted in front of Ruka that she was having trouble in her sex life. Ruka began to blush at the thought of Mikan having sex trouble with her boyfriend. He cleared his throat.

"Well, I suppose if I had a girlfriend who was not ready to sleep with me, I would wait for her and respect her feelings. Mikan, personally I believe that if your boyfriend isn't willing to respect your feelings then you should just let him go." Ruka said. Mikan's heart began to break. She knew that she loved her boyfriend more than anything in the world and would be willing to give her life for him. She couldn't just let her go because of one misunderstanding could she? "Oh, by the way Mikan, who is your boyfriend if you don't mind me asking?" Ruka questioned.

"Huh, what are you talking about Ruka? You know my boyfriend is Natsume." Mikan said with slight annoyance voice. Ruka and Hotaru looked at each other before cracking up.

"What are you talking about Mikan? Everyone knows that Natsume is dating that Scarlet girl," Hotaru said while taking her last bite of her hamburger. Mikan's eyes widened and her heart stopped.

"He is not!" Mikan screamed with an intense rage. The thought of Natsume with another woman was unbearable.

"Sakura, what are you talking about? Natsume has had the hots for Scarlet since he was 10, you know that," Ruka stated.

"No! He said that he would love me forever! We exchanged Alice stones! We were going to get married!" Mikan screamed at the the top of her lungs. Mikan was clearly heartbroken and she couldn't comprehend what was going on and why no one could acknowledge the idea of her going out with Mikan.

"What is that flat chest glabbering about?" Called a nearby woman's voice. Mikan heard a masculine sigh.

"Probably just another of her delusions of her and I dating again." Bewildered, Mikan turned around and to her surprise she saw _her _Natsume hand-in-hand with a pregnant Scarlet.

"Ehhhhh!?" Was all Mikan could spit out as she felt her heart beat increase and blood rush to her face as she felt incredibly hurt and betrayed when no one was there to help or support her. "Natsume...why?" Mikan croaked as she began to cry.

"Look, Sakura, our time together is over. I know we had some fun, but you just have to accept that I'm in love with Scarlet now. It's easier and more comfortable to express myself with her," Natsume said as she put her hands on Scarlet's waist.

"Basically honey, Natsume can have a more fun time with me than a scared goody-two shoes like you." Scarlet said as she cupped Natsume's cheek and planted a kiss on his lips.

"No!" Mikan screamed as the smooth beach sand that she was sitting on turned into quick sand slowly engulfing her. Mikan's knees downward were already buried in the sand. "Natsume, why? What did I do wrong? I-I don't want to lose you! Please, I won't be scared anymore. I'll be willing to do the things that you want! Please give me another chance!" Mikan screamed as more and more tears began to fall from her eyes while the quicksand that she was sinking in reached her waist level.

"Sounds to me like you simply don't know your place baka, " Hotaru said as her body transformed into Scarlet.

"You don't deserve to be by Natsume's side. Natsume deserves a selfless girl who won't put her own person feelings before the man she's going to spend the rest of her life with," Ruka stated as he transformed into Scarlet as well. The sky became dark and the quick sand came to the level of Mikan's chin. There wasn't anything our heroic brunette could do. She was forced to watch her fiancé who once sworn to protect her with his life, with Scarlet, the woman who threatened to kill her and her friends. But why, Mikan thought? Was it true that she was to blame? That she herself pushed her fiancé away by refusing to make love to him? Did she hurt him and break their trust? Whatever the reason, it no longer mattered as the quick sand completely engulfed Mikan's head, stripping her of the access to breath. With all of Mikan's hope lost, she closed her eyes and prepared for the worst.

Mikan rose up from her dream, gasping for air and covered in sticky sweat.

"Was it all just a dream?" Mikan asked herself. Mikan felt as pale as the white paint on the walls. Her arms and legs were constrained to what appeared to be a giant body-sized steal robotic ring. Contrary to the bright colored paint, the room that she was in was very dark. She had to strain to see what was in front of her. Oh that's right, she thought. She was captured by Scarlet. Memories rushed over the past events, and her heart became heavy. "Oh, Natsume," she said to herself. She continued to remember her nightmare and the little incident that he caught him about to commit with Scarlet. "Natsume, please don't give up on me. I love you." Hot salty drops formed in the corners of her eyes, then dripped down her cheeks. Suddenly, her tears were brought to a halt as Mikan's ears perked to loud footsteps that approached in her direction. Mikan began to feel scared but remembered that she needed to stay strong for Natsume's sake.

Two figures came into Mikan's vision. One was the same black haired boy with glasses who gave Mikan and her friends trouble the other day. She remembered his name as Kenji. The other mysterious figure was a man who appeared to be a man in his mid-forties with a scar on his left cheek. He was wearing silver gloves on his hands which appeared to be control devices.

"Greetings Ms. Sakura," the scarred man said, slowly lowering his head. "My name is Zagi and I am the leader of AAO or previously known as simply, 'Z'. I've welcomed you here so that I may use your stealing alice to rid this world of alices forever."

"Stealing alice? You're crazy, I don't have that alice anymore. I don't have any alices anymore, they all ran out," Mikan said while turning her head and giving Zagi a cold stare.

"Don't try to hide it my dear. I'm quite aware that your mother has sealed a hidden portion of her stealing alice within you in the case that you would ever need it as an adult. Which means..."

The dark man dropped his control devices. Kenji froze, but didn't interfere and only turned away. "...all I have to do is put your body in a stressed and dangerous position to shock your mind thus causing your alice to become unsealed." Zagi evilly said while Mikan nervously took a big gulp as she knew what would happen next would not go very well. Zagi raised his right hand and pointed it towards Mikan. Mikan felt an intense pain surging throughout her body. The feeling of electric waves surged through her muscles and nerves, and she couldn't help but yell out in agony. Kenji closed his eyes and continued to look away. His bottom lip quivering at the sound of her scream, feeling ashamed that he wasn't doing anything to help her. He couldn't open his eyes. The sight of her in so much pain would make him do something rash. But he continued to tell himself that it was all for the better as when Mikan's alice is unsealed, they will be able to use her alice to bring peace to this world.

"So are you willing to submit yet Mikan Sakura?" the boss wickedly yelled. Mikan's surging pain began to worsen as the moments went on. Blood dripped from her lips, and mixed with uncontrolled tears. She panted through her screams.

If only she had her nullification alice. She'd be able to control this. She wouldn't have to go through this. Staying strong was so hard when the strength was being forced out of her. Mikan could barely think as her pain began to increase. The only person to save her now probably didn't even know she was gone. Still she yelled out like he could hear her. "Natsume!" The pain had builded up to the brim, her screams echoing off the walls and through the room. Kenji peaked an eye opened as a gasp escaped his lips. He look in horror as he realized he couldn't let this go on much longer otherwise Mikan's life may really be put in jeopardy.

"Ah ha! So do you give up yet Ms. Sakura?" The wicked boss said as he stopped using his alice and lowered it. Mikan gasped and her head leaned to the ground. Her lungs filled with air and she couldn't do anything but breath, her body still shaking.

Mikan thought to herself that despite the intense pain that she suffered, she couldn't give Zagi what he wanted. Kenji's eyes lowered in pity.

"Well Sakura, have we reached a compromise yet? Simply unseal your stealing alice and you'll never have to feel the horror of my pain-injecting alice again," Zagi cruelly said as he extended his hand to Mikan inviting the restrained girl to an agreement.

"Please Mikan, just compromise with the boss. I don't know if I can stand seeing you tortured like this." Kenji thought to himself.

"_No!_" Mikan firmly told the boss. Zagi and Kenji thought they misheard her but Mikan did in fact to their surprise reject the boss's offer to avoid further agony. "I will never let you use my alice for your evil needs. You're just going to have to kill me!" Mikan said as she decided that she'd rather be dead than to see her alice be used to put her loved one's in jeopardy.

"So be it, bitch!" The ruthless man said he held placed the palm of his hand on Mikan's forehead. Mikan closed her eyes and accepted her fate.

"The Imai siblings have been safely rescued and I know now that with me gone the AAO will no longer have any reason to hunt down my friends. So I have no regrets." Mikan thought to herself as Zagi was about to activate his alice at maximum power but was stopped by Kenji grabbing his arm and pulling it away from Mikan.

"NO!" Kenji screamed as Mikan looked to the dark haired boy in shock of his actions.

"What's the meaning of this Kenji?!" The boss growled at his henchmen's sudden actions. Kenji brought his body to the floor and kneeled with his hands and knees on the ground in an attempt to beg the boss to hear his proposal.

"Master, I beg of you, please reconsider such harsh actions upon Ms. Sakura. Killing her would not benefit our plan at all. Maybe she just needs to be reasoned with?" Kenji begged with all his heart.

"Hmph fine. It makes no difference to me. I'll leave this rodent with you tonight Kenji. Hopefully you can reach her in some way that I can't." Zagi growled as he put on his control devices, dusted off his clothes and walked away.

"Arigato Gozaimasu." Kenji said. Mikan looked to the boy in awe. Her body has been beat to a pulp but her life was at least spared by this boy with glasses and she was admittedly grateful for this. Kenji then turned around, smiled, and placed his hand on Mikan's forehead.

"EEEEEEEP! Maybe I thought too soon!" Mikan thought to herself as she prepared to feel more pain surging through her body but was surprised as she wasn't feeling anything. "Kenji?" Mikan croaked but was ignored as Kenji was busy concentrating his alice onto Mikan's mind.

"Now, let me read the book of Mikan Sakura." Kenji said. When he laid eyes on her smile, he couldn't help but smile back and allowed himself to be infatuated.

**A/N: Well I hoped you guys liked this chapter. Feel free to leave in the comments what you guys think will happen to Kenji and Mikan in the next chapter. ^^**

**This chapter was written by Sonic-Keyblade 007 and was edited by edwardelric108 and Neverlookback756 **


	21. Chapter 15: Bonds

**Hey everyone! Long time no see! We're SO sorry for the really late update. We're not dead and we're certainly not giving up on this story, but school is absolutely crazy. With two of our authors in college and one in a busy highschool, we're really low on time to write. Updates will be quicker around America's Thanksgiving, Christmas, and whenever we can slip in time to work on the story. Again, we're sorry! I wrote in a Mikan Natsume scene to make up for it! ~NV**

**Chapter 15: Bonds**

"I see," Kenji stated slowly. "So you chased your best friend, Hotaru, to Gakuen Alice and entered with the nullification alice. Then you were partnered up with that Hyuuga jerk and then later fell in love with him after awakening your stealing alice. I see, very interesting Mikan Sakura." Kenji's fingers tingled as they touched Mikan's forehead, reading her memories.

"Kenji, why did you save me?" Mikan asked confused about the 13 year old's recent actions. "Not that I mind, but it was slightly uncalled for. Don't you think?"

"Well uh." Kenji struggled to find his words. "Obviously it was to keep the stubborn hostage alive so that we can further question her later when she's willing to submit to our demands." Kenji turned his face away from Mikan's in an attempt to avoid eye contact as his face began to turn slight red. Mikan didn't understand the sudden burst of color on the boy's cheeks.

"Are you sick?" Mikan asked. "You're looking a little flushed."

"Mind your own business," Kenji stammered. "I'm fine."

"Kenji-kun, you seem like a pretty nice boy. Why are you working in the AAO and with that Zagi jerk?" Kenji's eyes flared, sending a startled chill down Mikan's flesh.

"Don't you _dare _say anything against this organization or about Zagi-sama!" Kenji warned. "This organization has been a safe haven for me and if it's anyone that's the jerk, it's you Alices! Everyone of us has had their lives ruined because of these blasphemies that God gave us. Zagi says that the key to erase all alices from this world lies within you." His eyes filled with a twisted hope Mikan hadn't ever seen before in her life. She left it even more when he gripped her hands in his. "Don't you see Mikan? With your stealing alice, we'll be able to put an end to all alices that way no one will ever have to bear the pain of loneliness, rejection, or fear from having to carry an alice ever again!"

Mikan pulled her hands away.

"Don't say that! Our alices are gifts from God, he gave these to us so that we may use them to make this a better world," Mikan tried to convince him.

"If God really wanted us to use these alices to help the world, then tell me, what good does it do to use your alice if you have the fourth alice shape?" Kenji questioned. Mikan's heart clenched. She'd asked herself about a thousand times. She didn't know how to answer that especially when considering Natsume's alice. Sure, his alice did protect her from the evil of the academy, but it was still a double edged-sword as it limited his life span after every use and almost killed him during the battle against the ESP.

Mikan opened her mouth to answer, but no argument came out.

"See you can't even come close to thinking of a legitimate answer. In one way or another, alices bring nothing but pain. Especially for those who have the fourth alice shape. Not only are they feared due to their massive power, but they'll also end up killing themselves if they use this so called 'gift' that God gave them," Kenji said. Something in Mikan's mind clicked. She was never able to read her school books and comprehend them, but with people it was different.

"Kenji," Mikan asked shakily. "Do you have the fourth alice shape?"

Kenji's lack of reply confirmed her suspicions.

_This poor kid, he does have it, doesn't he? If it weren't for Hotaru, Natsume would have died because of his alice shape. There's no doubt that Kenji has used his alice quite a lot while being a member of the AAO so he may be walking in the path of Natsume and not have much time left in his life yet. _

"Kenji, I have the third alice shape, intermter, interminte, inter-" Mikan was then interrupted and corrected by an annoyed Kenji.

"Intermittent."

"Yeah that's it!" She gave a soft smile and nodded. "Anyway, I know that by me having the third alice shape I wouldn't be able to understand the exact burden that you and Natsume share by having the fourth alice shape, but I do believe there is a reason why you have it, and-"

"Reason that I have it, and what's that? So I can die an early death?" Kenji responded with obvious hurt in his voice.

"No no no!" Mikan quickly responded in an attempt to calm Kenji down. "Kenji, I can't figure out the answer for you. Only you can determine what the purpose of your alice is. Natsume used his alice to protect his friends and loved one's. He knew despite the impact that it had on his life, this is what he was given his alice for to protect those close to him and I always admired about him. 'Alice' in itself isn't bad. It's how you use it makes it bad. And how you're using your alice right now, to harm others, that's what makes you and your alice bad."

"You have no idea what I've been through," he muttered.

"Then tell me." Mikan placed a hand on his shoulder and gave an understanding smile.

"Why do you care?"

"Because I want to help you, Kenji-kun! I owe you my life," Mikan assured him.

Kenji sighed, before beginning his story, "I was adopted from an orphanage when I was a baby. They didn't tell me much, only that they found me in a blanket somewhere along the side of the road. Like I had been dropped there or something."

"I'm sure your parents didn't just drop you off like trash," Mikan commented.

"Just let me tell the story." Mikan's mouth shut at the request.

"Long story short," Kenji breathed through his lips. His voice shuddered "The people that adopted me thought Alices were the power of the devil walking on earth. I remember sitting down to family dinners and hearing all about how terrible Alices were. Can you imagine that, Mikan? Sitting and listening to how terrible you were, so much so that you couldn't tell anyone about it?"

"No," Mikan said sadly. "I can't even begin to imagine."

"Exactly. When they found out who I really was, an alice, they ditched me like my real parents." Kenji's eyes glossed over with salty water and emotion. "They called me a demon."

"Kenji-"

"It was okay though," he said. It was almost like he was saying that just to himself. "Because I met Scarlet and she loved me like no one else would. Like an older sister. The only real family I've ever had."

Mikan's mind slipped off for a second to Hotaru, the closest thing she would have to a sister. Then, she thought about Natsume and a fast flash of complete love was replaced by a heavy load of hurt.

"Mikan, you have to understand," Kenji said to her. "The evil AAO that you have in your mind is so much different than the true nature of the AAO. All we want is what's good. The only difference between us is that our ideas are different."

"I hope that one day we can figure out what that is," she said finally. "Maybe in the end we can even work together for what's right."

"I'd like that," Kenji muttered. The smile on her face couldn't help but force Kenji to smile too. "For now why don't you sleep. Get some rest while you can." Mikan nodded and snuggled against herself on her makeshift bed.

_Flashback~_

_Mikan was snuggled up against Natsume. Mikan had been back at the academy for a few days and Narumi sensei had made it very clear that this was strictly off limits, but she couldn't help it. There was something so comforting about Natsume's warm embrace around her that she didn't care what rules she was breaking, she wanted to be with him. _

_They had been laying like this for a while now. Mikan's head rested at Natsume's chest so the only sound she could hear was his breathing and heartbeat. Her mind drifted off to a memory when his heart didn't beat, and she held him closer. Her next breath was shaky as she fought the memory away. _

"_You okay?" his voice broke through the darkness. She didn't answer for a few seconds. If she had answered right away, Natsume would be able to tell she was lying. She had to at least wait a few seconds to regain her composure. She listened to the sound of his smooth heartbeat. Thump. Thump. Thump. _

"_Natsume," she said quietly into the cool air. "I love you." The thumping in Natsume's chest skipped a beat, and she smiled. _

"_I love you too," he said back. His hands pulled her face to look at him. "Don't think about it. I won't be leaving you again." _

_Mikan loved how no words were needed in order for Natsume to know her worries. His hands pulled her face closer to his. "I will always love you." And then he kissed her. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him on top of her. Her mind and body was too exhausted for anything to passionate that night, so instead she just pressed her lips against his. Every few seconds, she would pull away for a split moment and kiss him again, the way couples did. When she pulled away, she noticed a slight disappointed groan from Natsume._

"_When we get married," she told him. "We can kiss in bed all we want. We can kiss all the time anywhere, really. We won't have to worry about this school, or the AAO, or anything. It'll be just us." Natsume's lips worked their way from her shoulder to her forehead. _

"_I can't wait," Natsume whispered in happiness. Mikan snuggled as close as she could, kissed him one last time for the night, and closed her eyes. _

_End flashback_

**This chapter was written by Sonic-keyblade007 and Neverlookback756, then edited by Edwardelric108. Let us know what you thought in a review! **


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